


A True Prince

by KairiasYami2



Category: Aladdin (1992), Aladdin (2019)
Genre: Aladdin Makes a Different Wish, Aladdin Makes the Same Wish, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Jasmine, Chapter Titles Are Disney Song Titles, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Gen, Genie's Just Super Extra In This One, Human!Abu, Jafar Gets What's Coming For Him, Protective Genie, Rather, Time Travel, of a sort, sentient magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2020-05-18 23:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 28,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19345186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KairiasYami2/pseuds/KairiasYami2
Summary: What does it mean to be a "Prince"? Does it mean looks and riches? Prestige and honor? Or maybe it means devoting your entire being to helping your people. Which one is it? It's time for Aladdin to find out."You were a street rat, Al. But now you're not - I've given you a great opportunity. I'd take advantage of it."





	1. A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So I posted this story onto FanFiction.Net years ago, and finally decided to bring it over to AO3. 
> 
> Before we get into things, a couple of notes:  
> SORRY!! About the names of the people. I don’t know any names from that area of the world, and I wouldn’t know where to look. I live in America, and I have no friends. So I just took names that exist in the movie and twisted them a little. For example, for one of Aladdin’s “advisors”, I took Jafar’s name and made it Zafa.  
> To be honest, I probably got a lot of stuff wrong and such, but just assume that that’s because of Genie messing with the world. My idea is that this is an alternate universe loosely based in the Middle East. That’s my explanation for all historical inaccuracies.  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Aladdin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin makes a wish, Genie is Extra, and reality is never the same.

In an oasis in the middle of the desert, something magical that would change reality itself is about to occur, centered around the four beings gathered there. A teenage boy, a genie, a monkey, and a magical rug.

 

“Genie, I wish for you to make me a prince.” The dark haired boy declares, spreading out his arms and grinning at the blue being.

 

“Right away, Al!” The genie pulls up his “sleeves” and sets to work. He creates an outfit for the soon to be prince, planning to also create servants and riches as proof of his nobility.

 

Now, in another world, Genie would be satisfied with just the outward appearance of nobility, and the group would set off to Agrabah. He would not think that he needed to do anything more.

 

That is not the case here.

 

You see, Genie has existed for many millennia and has met enough princes to know that there is more to being a prince than riches, looks, attitude, and status. He knows that to be a good, effective prince, one must be educated, have manners, care for the common people, and actually _know_ how to rule a kingdom.

 

In that other world, Genie would ignore that knowledge - no need to go to so much effort for the latest person in a _long_ list of “masters”. In this one, Genie embraces it, prideful enough to want to do his best for his master’s wish, and goes above and beyond any of Aladdin’s hopes and expectations.

 

And so he begins the job of bending reality itself - changing circumstance, heritage, and memory.

 

The world as it is now, is thus changed forever after.

 

* * *

 

 

“Your Highness! Your Highness, are you alright?!”

 

Hearing the frantic voice, Aladdin wakes up with a groan. He shakes his head and looks about himself in confusion. Where is he? His attention is drawn to the noble looking man kneeling next to him.

 

“Zafa? What...?” He asks dazedly, then blinks in shock. What was that? He doesn’t know this man, but as he stares in confusion, memories and information flood into his head.

 

 _Last week I tricked Zafa into giving me a whole platter of extra food to give to Abu._ What?

 

 _“No slouching! It is not becoming of someone of your high status. And don’t look down!”_ Instinctively, he straightens his spine and lifts his chin.

 

 _“Your Highness-- Aladdin. I know you are shocked and distressed by this revelation, but know that your birth parents loved you very much. The kingdom was at war at the time of your birth, so they secretly gave you to a pair of trusted servants to raise you safely. They tragically died before they could tell anyone what they had done. We only recently found evidence of what happened to you. We are glad to find you, my Prince, after thirteen long years of searching.”_ What? What is this nonsense? He isn’t a prince! His parents were peasants - commoners!

 

“ _Al, I just heard that your parents are dead! Are you okay?”_

_“...I’m fine, Abu. Really.”_

 

_“Aladdin, honey, could you come here for a moment? We have something to tell you.”_

_. . ._

_“What? What do you mean I’m adopted?! That can’t-”_

_“Aladdin, come back! Sweetheart, let us explain!”_

He shakes his head in disbelief. None of this is making sense! He never knew his parents, they died before he was even one, so they couldn’t have told him he was adopted! (And in the back of his mind he’s thinking, it’s not fair, not fair at all, that he finally gets to know what his life would be like if his parents had lived to see him grow up and it’s so happy and they are poor but not beggars and it turns out they _aren’t even his parents how is that fair?_ )

 

“Your Highness? Are you alright? You look quite ill.” Refocusing his eyes on the stranger - _Zafa, the youngest of my advisors, the nicest, the easiest to trick_ \- Aladdin shakes his head and tries to push himself up. Two men rush forward to help - _guards, there to protect me from those threats I can’t handle myself_ \- and he lets them. Normally he would push away any help (‘I can take care of myself, I’ve been doing it for my whole life’), but right now he is too confused to do anything.

 

They gently pull him out of the large room he woke up in - _the throne room, where I receive requests and listen to complaints of the people three times a week, where I am learning to act as Sultan of the great nation Diaus Biaraa, where I am forced to spend most of my time when I am unable sneak off_ (‘but Diaus Biaraa was destroyed years ago-’) - and down the hall.

 

As they walk, he observes the paintings and decorations and everything around him, and memories that were both his and not flow through his mind.

 

 _I scraped my knee there running around this place when I first got here._ (‘I’ve never been here before.’)

 

 _My tutoring sessions in reading and writing take place in that room. My teachers say that I am improving nicely._ (‘I never learned how to read or write.’)

 

On and on it goes as we walk in silence, two sets of memories contradicting each other, and soon he just closes his eyes and hangs his head to try and escape the onslaught of memories. (‘They’re not mine they can’t be none of this makes any _sense_!’)

 

Soon the group reaches a large, ornate door, which is pushed open with haste as those around their confused Prince worry. He opens his eyes and scans the extravagant room

\- _it’s mine; That large bed there is where I sleep (it has to be the most comfortable thing in the world, everything I dreamed of as a poor child), and Abu sleeps in the smaller bed next to mine (but sometimes when I get homesick and I miss the people who raised me and the extravagance of everything gets to me he climbs into my bed and we cuddle together like we did when we were kids), and I used to use the balcony there to sneak out of the castle, so they closed it off, can’t go having the young ruler of the kingdom running around in the real world without guards after all_ (‘what is this Abu is a monkey I have never slept in a real bed at best I use a pile of hay with a worn cloth over it I don’t understand what’s happening’)

\- and then pretty much just melts into the soft mattress he is set on. He begins to doze off as those around him murmur worriedly.

 

“What’s wrong with him?!” While it doesn’t wake him completely, the worried shout rouses Aladdin slightly. He rolls his head towards the voice and watches as a thin boy hurries to his side - _Abu, that’s Abu, he’s my best friend ever, we’ve known each other since I was seven and he was four; when my adoptive parents died, we stuck together like brothers; when the royal court came calling, I said I wouldn’t go with them and cooperate unless he would come along; officially, he’s my servant, but unofficially, he’s my brother_. (Abu’s a monkey, a _freaking monkey_ what’s _going on_ )

 

Abu is scrawny, and short, and has light brown hair, with very worried look on his face.

 

_“Stop worrying Abu! You’re such a worrywart! It’ll be fine!”_

_“Maybe I wouldn’t worry so much if you weren’t so reckless Al!”_

 

His grey eyes, while worried, also look as confused as Aladdin feels, and he glances many times at a familiar golden lamp as he interrogates everyone about what happened to Aladdin.

 

The confusion and memories pile and his head pounds in time with his racing pulse. Squeezing shut his eyes Aladdin curls into a ball on the bed (‘what _is_ this this can’t be real it’s too perfect’) and tries his best to fall asleep. (‘Maybe when I wake up the world will make sense.’)


	2. I Just Can't Wait To Be King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin tries to adjust to his new life, makes a promise, and then almost immediately regrets being so naive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends.  
> Here is chapter 2. Y'all are lucky, on ff.net I didn't update this story for over a year. Yikes, amiright?  
> I hope you all like it.  
> Also, I apologize in advance about everyone probably being massively out of character, but I especially apologize for Genie. I cannot write Genie right. Robin Williams was a genius I can’t mimic in the slightest. I bring in my defense that this is an AU and I get to decide how I write them. I’m innocent, I swear.)  
> I still don’t own Aladdin.

It is the glare of the sun that wakes him.

 

Rolling over in his soft bed, Aladdin thinks to himself, ‘Wow, must have been a great haul yesterday if I’m letting myself sleep in. I’ve never slept after the sun rises except when I manage to get enough food to last several days.’

 

His brows furrow. ‘Wait, why is my bed so soft? I feel like I’m on a cloud, not a sack of hay.’ Groaning, he lifts his head slightly, not wanting to leave the heavenly bed he’s in, but determined to solve the mystery. When his eyes open, he squints to block out the sunlight, and then stares in shock. “What  the hell?! Where am I?”

 

The tap-tap-tap of quickly approaching feet draws his attention, and he turns to watch a short boy hurry up to him, relief on his face. “Al, thank god you’re okay! We were all so worried!” At the blank look the boy received from Aladdin, his eyes widen in understanding. “Oh, Al, I know you’re confused, but it’s me, Abu! I don’t know how, but I swear it’s me!”

 

“...Abu? I don’t--what? You’re human? But--how are you Abu?”

 

“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve been thinking about it and I’m almost positive it has something to do with that genie - and let me tell you, I might have been smart for a monkey, but as a human I’m so smart, I can’t believe-”

 

Aladdin let his best friend continue to talk about the differences between being a monkey and a human (“Not much, to be honest, the two are really similar, see...”) as he remembers the day before, trying to think back to the moment things changed.

 

_“Genie, I wish for you to make me a prince.”_

_“Alright! Here we go!”_

 

‘So this is all because of my wish...what did Genie do? I have to ask him, but where--the lamp!’ Aladdin lunges out of the bed, startling Abu with his sudden movement, grabbing the lamp that he vaguely remembers to have set on the bedside table yesterday.

 

He lands on his side on the floor, and his body protests the sudden movements. He rubs the side and coughs as the lamp erupts into smoke. Genie appears with a wide yawn and a shout. “Ah, that was a great nap! Hey Al! I see you’re getting settled in! I’m glad, I put a lot of work into fulfilling your wish!”

 

“Genie, what’s going on? Why, do I have all these conflicting memories, and--and why and how is Abu a human, and--why do these people recognize me as a _prince_?!” Aladdin’s voice rises into nearly a shriek by the end of his sentence, and he’s worked himself into a nervous frenzy by the end.

 

“What’d’ya mean, Al? I made you a prince, like you wished! I almost just stuck you into a Prince’s clothes and gave you a bunch of wealth, but there’s more to being a prince than clothing and money! I should know! Doing anything less than my best work would be lazy of me, and would bring me shame! So I made you a _true_ Prince!”

 

Aladdin feels dread begin to churn in his stomach. He doesn’t know how to be a Prince, he doesn’t know how to be the ruler of a kingdom - he had just had a crush on a girl he met once and was supremely out of his league! He hadn’t meant to completely change the entire universe!

 

Before he can say any of this however, Genie speaks. His voice is oddly stern, and it doesn’t really fit the jolly blue being. "You were a street rat, Al. But now you're not - I've given you a great opportunity. I'd take advantage of it."

 

As Genie says this, he realizes something - digging into his memories, he can remember lessons, on how to be a prince, on what a prince does, how a prince serves his country, everything. He is in no way _ready_ to be king and truly lead his ( _new_ ) home, he had slacked off in lessons, still trying to get used to his new circumstances, but he won’t be floundering, not in this.

 

And - something he remembers from his past- _true_ -life. The nation of Diaus Biaraa was destroyed years ago. He recalls hearing whispers and rumors in the market as he staked out a stall, about how the once prosperous nation fell apart as greedy nobles fought over who would rule after the childless Monarchs died. _In this world, they weren’t childless. They had me and -_ And he remembers all the refugees from Diaus Biaraa, how so many of those fellow street rats he remembers were survivors of the fall of that country.

 

He is still unsure, and skeptical, and scared of this new reality. He does not feel confident in his ability to lead this large nation. But the soft, compassionate part of him that he’s had to stomp down and hide away for years is whispering in his head - _those people won’t have to ever know the pain of starvation, the fear of death and of being caught stealing, because I’m here. I can help them, be a strong leader for them, do my best to make this land the most prosperous and equal land in the world._

 

He takes a deep breath, and turns his attention back to Genie and Abu. They are staring at him, both of them seeming concerned. He straightens as best he can from his position sprawled on the floor and adopts his most serious and regal expression. ( _It’s not very impressive, to be honest, but he’s trying._ )

 

He doesn’t really know what’s going on, but he does know this - “I am going to be the best Sultan this world has ever seen. I am going to make Diaus Biaraa the happiest place on Earth."

 

* * *

 

 

 _This_ , he thinks to himself as he recalls his grand declaration, _might be harder than I thought it would be._

 

He is back in his ( _heavenly_ ) bed, and his three advisors surround him now.

 

“You  have been unconscious for several days,” Zafa had told him when he first arrived and saw Aladdin awake. “And no medicine could rouse you.”

 

“We have all been so worried,” the oldest of them, Haim, had claimed. “We did not know what to do.”

 

“Your parents would kill us,” the wisest of them, Malu, told him fondly, “if we let you die so soon after you were brought back.”

 

Now, they are discussing the events that happened while he was unconscious.  “One of the servants told a relative that Your Highness was ill. While still considered an unconfirmed rumor, there have been many people coming to wish you well. Three entire rooms have been filled with get well gifts from your people, and so far at least 10 men have been stopped from sneaking in to see you in concern.” Zafa tells him, humor in his voice.

 

At Aladdin’s surprised look, Malu laughed. “Did you not think your people cared for you, my Prince? You may be new to princehood, but because of your experiences as a commoner yourself, you have made a very good impression on the common folk.” He gives Aladdin a stern glance. “Though that is not me encouraging your frequent expeditions to town. You are much too unprotected by yourself, and you have not yet progressed far enough in your training to adequately defend yourself from threats. Our nation is still recovering. Dangers still lurk in the dark parts of our Kingdom.”

 

Still reeling from the knowledge that he is beloved by hundreds of people, when before people had literally threatened to tear him apart for stealing a single loaf of bread, he gives little thought to Malu’s scolding. He feels a warmth in his chest, and he is startled to realize that it is affection, for those unnamed people who are so concerned for him, when they might be barely getting by themselves.

 

He will not tire of saying that he doesn’t really know what is going on, or what he should do, because he has a long way to go, but he thinks that maybe, just maybe, if he has the support of these kind, kind people, that he might just be able to do this.


	3. I See the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin tries his best to be a good Prince, makes a couple of wishes (the Nile is a great wish), and is very, very happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends.  
> So I think it’s clear in the story, but just in case it’s not, I’ll clarify: Aladdin is 18 at the beginning of the movie and when he makes his wish.  
> Then, because of timey-wimey stuff, he is around 15 and a half (or so) when he wakes up in this alternative reality. The AU!Aladdin was found and brought to the palace when he was around 15, so it’s been a bit less than half a year.  
> There is a time skip in this chapter, of about a half year, so Al is now 16 and there is a little less than 2 years until it’s time for canon and for Al to head to Agrabah. Yay!  
> Still don't own.

Aladdin has always been jealous of those children whose parents had enough money to send them to the school every Sunday. He had gone a total of one time, as a child, and he learned how to read and write his name - but then he couldn’t go back, as he began to become known for his thieving ways and had to avoid being in public too often.

 

This fact, unfortunately, means that his brain is not well accustomed to learning while sitting in a room. He has so many lessons he must take - there is History of the Nation, History of the World, Etiquette, Politics, Economics, Languages (and he is learning _so many_ he doesn’t know how he will remember it all in addition to everything else, _I never even knew that there were so many places in the world for there to be that many languages_ ), Strategy, Diplomacy, Calligraphy, Literature, Writing, and Mathematics. Oddly enough, of all his classes, it is strategy that comes the easiest to him.

 

When he was still on the streets ( _and it felt like yesterday and yet years ago at the same time_ ), he would create complex plans when he was targeting particularly high-risk groups - such as the High Duke Latheem’s greatest jewels when he was twelve ( _and I made a killing selling those to the Black Market, that was a good couple months_ ). And each of his complex plans would have backup plans upon backup plans, contingencies upon contingencies, prepared for every eventuality. He had been caught once, just once, without any kind of backup plan and- Well. He learned his lesson.

 

So. Strategy, while more complicated on such a large scale, is not so hard to him as the others are. As the days go by, the material becomes harder, but his brain becomes accustomed at last to learning, and it is not so difficult to focus.

 

Calligraphy will never be something he excels at - he simply does not have the patience to perfectly craft the characters, nor the passion, but he manages.

 

He soon settles into a nice, if busy, routine. After breakfast (which contains more food in that one meal than he once would have in several days), and lessons that were arranged on a rotating schedule, and then lunch (even _more_ food and wow it’s amazing but daunting and a little disgusting how much of a difference class makes) he either spends several hours in the throne room, answering his people’s requests, or he goes for a nice walk, or sometimes he receives from his guards just a little more defense training. And after that is more lessons and then dinner (how do they have so much food _why did I ever have to go hungry if there was this much food in the world?_ ).

 

(A couple weeks into his new life, he remembers throwing a bit of a tantrum. He was finally beginning to settle into this new life a little, and he finally felt secure enough to let loose. It was the food that finally got him - he was so, so disgusted by the fact that he had so much food at his fingertips, to eat until he was sick and then _throw away_ perfectly good food, when he knew that so many people in Agrabah were starving and dying.

 

Apparently, Diaus Biaraa was a much kinder place than Agrabah. They have much more support for orphans so children wouldn’t starve on the street, and the unemployed and “untouchables” were much fewer in this country. The previous king and queen ( _his parents_ ) cared very dearly for all of their people, not just the rich ones.

 

He was slightly appeased, but it didn’t stop him from trying to sneak new laws in to fix the class disparity at the meetings his advisors hold every week. He hasn’t quite succeeded yet, there are budget issues and corrupt nobles always standing in his way, but he won’t stop until no one went hungry under his rule. He is determined.)

 

After dinner he goes back to his room, to spend time with Abu and Genie, and the Magic Carpet when it isn’t moping about not being used. (There’s little chance for the recently-found-after-being-missing-for-over-a-decade Crown Prince to go for long flights on a magic carpet. No one would let it happen, and after the heart attacks he gave his guards after the first and last time he tried it, Aladdin figured he better wait a little longer before trying to pull anything else) Abu, despite his previous experience as a monkey, or maybe because of it, is a very deep thinker and a great conversationalist. Genie, when not being a total goofball, can be extraordinarily insightful - and with his long lifespan, he has a lot of anecdotes to share. Magic Carpet is just cozy to lie on and relax - it doesn’t talk much.

 

The weekends are his to do as he wishes (unless something urgent comes up, and the first time there was an emergency and Aladdin had to deal with it, he almost broke down crying from the stress and the fear of failing), and it is those days that he makes his attempts to sneak out and enjoy the lower town. They are not always successful, but when they are, he enjoys himself exploring the place he has made his home.

 

And time passes like this, a week, then a month, and then all of a sudden he has been in this new reality for half a year, and he is treating the Palace as his home, and he has almost forgotten what Abu looked like with fur, and he has forgotten what it is like to go hungry, and no longer do the memories of this reality disturb him. He enjoys helping his people, who adore him nearly as much as he adores them. He is happy. He is so, so, _so_ happy.

 

He sits in his room for near an hour, when he realizes how much and how suddenly his life has changed, but no matter how much he tries, he cannot find it in himself to regret the events that lead to where he is today.

 

Then, it is his 16th birthday ( _again_ ) and there is a large festival to celebrate the first birthday for the Prince where the Prince is actually there to attend. ( _It is so different from his last 16th birthday, where he spent the whole day like he spent most of his days - starving and stealing food to survive._ ) Before, there had only been a memorial, to remember the Sultan and his Wife, and to hope that perhaps, their missing Prince would notice and come home.

 

It is a joyous occasion, and Aladdin has so much fun spending time with his people, without having to worry about being dragged back to the palace. They know him, because of the grand ceremony that announced his return months ago, but also because he manages to sneak out of the Palace at least every other week, so he is a familiar enough face to the townspeople.

 

He dances with everyone he can, women, men, children, teens, he doesn’t care. He is the star of the party, all of this effort and extravagance is for him, and he will not allow himself to be stuffy and uptight like so many of his fellow nobles are on their birthdays.

 

He eats all the food he can, talks to everyone he manages to meet, laughs and dances and sings and just - _enjoys himself_ , purely, with no doubts or worries or cares.  

 

The day flies by, and soon it is evening, and calm, beautiful sound of music rings throughout the town. The sunset is gorgeous, and he revels at the peace and joy that rings through the air. People dance slowly with their loved ones, families lounge together, and he imagines that this is what Paradise is. That this, peace and beauty and joy and contentedness and the overwhelming sense of being loved as much as you love, is the true meaning of life and living.

 

He wishes that this happiness could last forever.

 

He wishes. Realization strikes - _he wishes_.

 

“Genie.” He murmurs, keeping his eyes on the beautiful horizon. “If I wished it...could you make it so that my people, this kingdom, would always prosper? So that, even in bad times, my people will simply grow stronger, not colder?”

 

Genie, who for this occasion has taken the form of an earring in his left ear, is silent for a moment, then answers. “Yeah, I can do that buddy. Is that your second wish? You sure?” Maybe one day, when something big comes up, he will regret using up this wish so soon. But right now, he can think of no wish better than the happiness of his people. When Aladdin nods solemnly, Genie laughs fondly. “You gotta say it right, Al.”

 

Aladdin takes a deep breath, before saying his wish softly into the open air. “Genie, I wish that the great nation of Diaus Biaraa will forever and always be prosperous, that no matter the hardships, people will stay kind and good and strong in the face of darkness, shining through to the light.”

 

“You got it, pal.” There’s warmth in Genie’s voice.

 

This wish - unlike his first - does not have an instant, obvious result. But in his chest, Aladdin feels something settle, and he closes his eyes with a soft smile.

 

As the music continues and the sun draws nearer to the horizon, he can’t help but relax completely.

 

_This has been the best day of my life._

 

* * *

 

 

Several days later, Aladdin lies in his bed after a long day of lessons and decision-making. Genie is talking in the background something about matchmakers or undertakers or something (Aladdin is tired and isn’t paying him much attention, truthfully). It is just Aladdin and Genie in his room, Abu off having to complete some of his own duties as the Prince’s Manservant (though he isn’t really treated like a servant), and the Magic Carpet having gotten bored a couple days ago and gone to sulk in some clouds.

 

He remembers a promise he made, a year ago.

 

_“...I promise. After I make my first two wishes, I’ll use my third wish to set you free.”_

 

He’s made his second wish, and his promise is looming over him. _Genie has been looking somewhat tense the past several days,_ he realizes. _Since I made my second wish._ He thinks that maybe, Genie is struggling between his hope for freedom and his past experiences with selfish masters.

 

 _Well,_ Aladdin decides, _no more._ He made a promise, and as enticing as it is to ponder his third and final wish, as much as he’s thought of so many things he could wish for with Genie’s power, Genie has become a dear friend the past several months. Aladdin would feel awful condemning his cheerful friend to the hellish experience he had described for the next millennia or so. _Phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty living space he said? Sounds awful._

 

Pausing to settle his thoughts and make sure Genie is here in the room with him, and not gallivanting about in the Gardens or somewhere like he often does, he makes up his mind.

 

“Genie, I wish for your freedom.” His words, spoken quietly into the silent room, shock Genie. He freezes in the middle of his rant, and stares with heartbreaking hope at Aladdin, his eyes begging Aladdin that he heard true.

 

“What?”

 

“You’re free,” Aladdin says, holding up Genie’s golden lamp to the blue being. As he does, blue smokes seeps out of the opening of the lamp, swirling around Genie. He laughs in startled awe, and as the mist clears a minute later, Genie stands before Aladdin, tail replaced by legs, and the golden bands around his wrists broken off. He looks more happy, more genuinely happy, than he ever has in Aladdin’s entire time knowing him.

 

He sounds like he goings to cry as he says “I’m free. I’m _free_.” He stands for several moments, marveling at his bare wrists, before turning to the pleased Aladdin, almost frantic. “Wish for something outrageous! Say I- I wish for the Nile, I wish for the Nile. Try that.”

 

Humoring him, Aladdin complies. “I wish for the Nile?”

 

Genie laughs joyfully when he feels no compulsion making him grant the wish. “NO WAY!” He explodes into motion, fireworks and colors and sounds bursting into existence as he expresses his happiness. “Oh does it feel good! I’m free! I’M FREE!!”

 

Aladdin grins at the exuberant being and laughs at his bouncing. Soon, Genie stops his fireworks and begins to pack a suitcase with clothes that appear out of nowhere. “I’m going to see the world!!” He shouts, and pops into tourist cloths.

 

He pauses, and turns to Aladdin, suddenly unsure. “You’re - okay? I don’t want to just suddenly abandon you or-“

 

Shaking his head, Aladdin interrupts. “Genie, don’t worry about me. You’ve already done so much to help me, I could never repay you. Go. Have your vacation.” He grins a little sadly at the thought of his friend leaving, but he would never limit Genie’s desires just because he’d miss him. “Just make sure you come visit sometime, ya hear?”

 

Nodding his head, Genie pauses one more time before he leaves. “Here,” he says. “So you don’t forget about me.” He snaps his fingers and Aladdin finds himself wearing a pair of blue earrings, identical to the one Genie would often disguise himself as.

 

Then, with a final shouted “Toodles!” from the blue being, Genie shoots off into the atmosphere, gleefully laughing the whole way.

 

Aladdin fingers the earrings fondly, and says with a grin, “As if I could ever forget you, buddy."


	4. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin thinks about his new life and his new home, and while he can be struck by sadness sometimes, he knows that he has people who care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! A bit of a shorter chapter this time.  
> I remember having so much trouble with this one, which is part of the reason for its shortness.  
> Anyway, I just want to ask please excuse any “inaccuracies” in geography or whatever, I’m maintaining that Aladdin takes place in an alternate version of our Middle East, so that’s why there are differences in Agrabah and such.  
> TIMESKIP OF ABOUT A YEAR FROM LAST CHAPTER.  
> Still don’t own Aladdin. The idea is mine though.

As a street rat, whose days were spent scrounging for whatever he could find just to make it to the next day, Aladdin had never paid much attention to foreign countries or politics or, honestly, anything other than surviving. Despite this fact, even he had heard stories about the great nation of Diaus Biaraa. Sometimes, if he had been particularly successful one day, he would relax and listen in on the talk in the market - even after it’s fall, Diaus Biaraa had been a hot topic for the gossipmongers. 

 

Now, with his sparse knowledge of his new nation’s history being supplemented by actual history lessons, he can appreciate even more the amazing opportunity he has been given.

 

Diaus Biaraa was and remains a rich and prosperous nation, and it has been so for many centuries, due in large part to its close proximity to not only the ocean, making it ideal for trade, but also to the largest body of freshwater on the continent. However, for those same reasons, it has always been a constant target for attacks, invasions and sabotage. There had been many hard times for the people of Diaus Biaraa, and many times the country had come so close to destruction, but they endured.

 

In Aladdin’s home reality, around the time of his birth, Diaus Biaraa had begun its fall due to a series of unfortunate and consecutive happenings. In the span of only a few years, the nation had been attacked, followed by a devastating drought and an invasion by an opportunistic neighbor. The country survived but was in ruins, and when their beloved monarchs died without an heir not much later in yet another war, morale hit an all time low and civil war raged for nearly seven years. Eventually, there was nothing left of the once great nation - nothing except the hundreds of thousands of destitute, displaced citizens, who were forced to flee to other kingdoms. Agrabah, as Diaus Biaraa’s most peaceful neighbor and with its soft sultan, had been most refugees’ preferred destination.

 

Now - though there remains many problems, such as frequent raids by bandits, unfair trade agreements by impatient and greedy neighbors, and crops that are still recovering from the long drought - now, his people have someone, they have  _ him _ , Aladdin, the once street rat, and though he struggles no one can deny the good he has done in the near two years of his reign.

 

(He’d asked Genie, not long after waking up in this new reality and realizing where he was, about what, exactly, Aladdin’s wish had done.  _ How could a long destroyed nation simply come back? What would happen if he ever returned to Agrabah? This all an illusion...right? _ Genie’s explanation had been complicated, very much so, especially for the uneducated ex-street rat, but finally he managed to somewhat understand things. 

 

At its most basic, what Genie had done was rewrite time itself. Aladdin, as he had been before, the street rat with no parents and only a small monkey for his friend, no longer exists - in fact, he had never existed at all, now. Anyone who had ever met him, simply forgot he had ever lived - or rather, had never met him at all. 

 

Aladdin was shocked, and a little distraught - Did someone take his place in history? Is there someone walking around with his life but a different face and name, stealing in his place, running from guards and meeting the beautiful Princess Jasmine instead of Aladdin? 

 

When asked, Genie just shrugged. “I dunno, Al.” He had said. “I’ve honestly never used my powers to this extent before.” Seeing Aladdin’s depressed slump at his words, Genie had tried his best to reassure his friend. “But, Al, you’re a unique person. Even if there is someone else who exists in your place, he won’t ever be  _ you _ .”)

 

So despite his doubts and worries and the times he wonders how good of a Prince he actually is, despite all of the negative thoughts that crowd his head, he pushes through. He learns how to hold court and how to manage the spoiled nobles who make up his court and how to deal with the older, more hardened of those nobles, who are bitter that this upstart with no experience is now their better. He learns that as much as he yearns to always be merciful, there are some things that force him to shed the kind person he had finally been able to become without fear. Sometimes, he needs to use the sharp, cruel part of him that had been honed by an entire life in the underworld of Agrabah - where kindness, while admirable, does you little help in the fight to survive.

 

(Aladdin wonders, sometimes, in the moments when he feels like he is an imposter, a fake, if his parents from his original life, who had died before he ever knew them, are alive here. He had never known how they had died - maybe without him in their lives as a hindrance, they are still alive, happy. Maybe they have several not-him children, and live in a comfortable house and never have to worry about food. Or maybe they are still dead, and his existence had no impact on their lives. Either way, there is no way he’ll ever find out, not as a Prince of another nation altogether, and not with his lack of knowledge of his parents’ identity. He tries very hard not to think like that. He doesn’t always succeed.

 

He wonders if maybe Aladdin, the street rat, really was as worthless as people had always claimed. If anyone would have missed him, had there been anyone to miss. He knows the answer, and so he never dwells on those thoughts for long.)

 

In these constant moments of hardship, when he feels like he can’t do anything right and he is letting his people down, Aladdin can feel his wish at work. He can almost feel it seep into homes and families that have been destroyed, fold itself into the hugs between loved ones as they part and reunite. The nation mourns, for the feelings of loss can never be appeased by a wish, but now there is a solidarity within his nation, and maybe, without his wish, they could have survived these hard times, but they wouldn’t have had the companions and the steadfast knowledge that, eventually, everything would be alright.


	5. I Won't Say (I'm In Love)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's everyday shenanigans, a marriage proposal, panic, and an Idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the last of the chapters from ff.net, updates will be slow and irregular after this because life is hard my friends and I'm trying to write my own novel.
> 
> Also, I just saw the live-action remake! It was really good, I enjoyed it. I also was inspired, which is why I decided to post this story to AO3.  
> I have plans that include integrating some aspects of the live-action movie into it - such as Jasmine’s character, etc.
> 
> Note: In chapter 4 Aladdin was 17ish, and he is still 17 here, but closer to 18. I plan to head to Agrabah once Al is 18.  
> I don’t own Aladdin, but the idea is mine.

Aladdin would like to say that he knows what he’s doing, but he thinks everyone from Abu to Malu would disagree with him, so.

 

He has no idea what he’s doing.

 

He had been having a great day, with an entertaining court meeting-

 

(He has so much fun arguing with his noble court, even if they are so often frustrating, because they rarely have  _ logical _ explanations for their greedy plans and proposals, and so he gets to poke holes in their arguments and watch as they get redder and redder from anger and embarrassment. His favorite game is pretending to be unaware of their schemes and seeing them get infuriated by being outsmarted by an “ignorant, bumbling child with no experience.”

 

What? Don’t judge him, he needs to get his kicks somewhere.

 

(The only times he tends to dislike the meetings, now that he has enough knowledge and experience to understand and hold his own in those chambers, is when Babui, Atum, or Kalim were active participants.

 

Those three were older, slyer, and more ambitious than most of the others on the council, and while none of them were cruel, and they all seemed to enjoy watching him play with the other nobles, he could never outmaneuver them. If he ever tried to pass a law they disagreed with, they would always manage to change it enough that he wasn’t satisfied with it anymore, while nearly all of their proposals tended to get passed with only minimal editing from him.

 

He didn’t hate them, but they were very much the most frustrating parts of being a Prince. He can’t hate them, because when things have gone wrong, they have been the ones to push him into the right state of mind, they have been the ones who supported him the most. They were all pragmatic and very loyal to Diaus Baara, despite their greed and disdain to those of “lesser birth.”)

 

It’s either tease the nobles or go stir-crazy on days he can’t manage to sneak out.)

 

-followed by a fun visit to the servants’ quarters during his free time-

 

(He started his visits to the quarters after meeting several servants who wouldn’t even speak to him they were so afraid. They all considered him so far above them that they couldn’t even consider speaking to him. He’d started working to change that as soon as he could, starting with visiting the servant’s quarters. And he was-

 

Shocked.

 

Not at the quarters themselves, or really the servants in general either, but at two specific stable hands.

 

They were brothers named Babkak and Omar and once upon a time they were the only friends he had ever had. Together with a boy named Kassim, they were a quartet who did their best to survive the stressful underground of Agrabah.

 

And these two boys had no idea who Aladdin was, beyond their prince. They had no memory of ever being friends with Aladdin-the-street-rat, only serving Aladdin-the-prince. And-

 

Aladdin will admit that he fled. It took him a little while to work up the courage to return to the servants’ quarters and remake the friendship that had been lost to another reality.

 

Now, over a year and a half since he had met them for the first time (again), they were as thick as the thieves they had been once upon a time.)

 

-and he had been looking forward to his after-dinner discussion with Zafa about budgets because maybe  _ this _ time they’ll come up with something so that it would be feasible to create some kind of commoner food fund or something so no one will ever go hungry again.

 

But then  _ this _ happened, and Aladdin will have it put on record that he was very much  _ not _ expecting this and he really wants some help right now please,  _ Zafa where are you when I need you?! _

 

(Maybe he’s over exaggerating, but he truly has no idea what to do right now and panic is better than considering what he has to do now.)

 

To explain what had happened, Aladdin had been heading to dinner when he was intercepted by a messenger telling him that he was needed in the throne room, because there was an ambassador from Carrena there and he wasn’t accepting no for an answer,  _ sorry my lord, I wasn’t able to get him to wait until you are holding audience tomorrow morning,  _ and  _ he really is causing a fuss, but if you refuse to meet with him I can get the guards? _

 

Willing to put off his dinner for a short while, and curious about this visitor, Aladdin had agreed to meet with the ambassador and spent the walk to the audience chamber thinking about Carrena.

 

According to his lessons, Carrena is one of Diaus Baara’s neighbors, and the two nations have been allies for nearly a century at this point. Were he anyone else, he might be looking forward to this meeting, but-

 

He knows of the kingdom of Carrena from two different sources, both of them from his prior life - and neither of them good.

 

The first was his own meeting with the Prince of Carrena when he was still just a street rat. Achmed, the prince, was on his way to try (and fail) to woo Princess Jasmine when Aladdin stopped him from hurting two children who fell onto his path. Not the best first impression.

 

The second source of knowledge is his memories of how Diaus Baara fell the first time - because of an opportunistic neighbor that invaded the nation while it was weakened from drought and war, eventually leading to the monarchs dying and civil war raging.

 

Diaus Baara originally fell because Carrena, their ally and friendly neighbor, betrayed them and attacked them at their weakest point.

 

He did not have a very high opinion of Carrena.

 

But now, he must pretend he has no bias against the nation, as it never invaded Diaus Baara in this timeline, and he cannot be seen to treat foreign dignitaries with hostility without due cause. So he straightens his back and molds his face into the mask he has learned to use during unpleasant business, and he strides into the throne room with a smile on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

And so here he is, sat on his throne with a fake smile on his face, hands clenching where they rest on his knees, and mind gibbering in panic. In front of him the Ambassador of Carrena speaks, arrogant and pompous, and Aladdin is not paying attention to a word he’s saying because  _ how am I supposed to respond to this I studied this possibility in both my Diplomacy and Politics classes but why is my mind blank I have no idea what to do is he still talking why is he still talking why did I come here oh my god what do I do what is he saying now?? _

 

“-and of course, we would get our trading deals upgraded once you agree to this union, and there would be treaties to ensure there is no treachery on either of our parts. It really is in your best interest to accept, I even have all the official papers right here! You just need to sign and verbally agree, and we can start planning the Marriage!”

 

**Nope.**

 

Aladdin is not dealing with this. He is hungry, and he is tired, and is  _ not _ dealing with someone trying to manipulate him into an arranged marriage that would almost certainly favor Carrena over Diaus Baara. The ambassador isn’t even being subtle about it - he clearly believes that Aladdin is too naive and uneducated to understand the attempted manipulations going on here.

 

And Aladdin doesn’t feel like dancing to his tune.

 

Before the Ambassador - who had introduced himself as Maih, cousin of the Prince and Princess of Carrena - can continue his proposal, Aladdin sharpens his smile and cuts in. “It’s getting late, don’t you agree? I think we should both go and rest for now, and perhaps we can discuss this more tomorrow. My advisors will be available then to aid me in making a decision.”

 

Giving the smallest of nods to the gaping ambassador, Aladdin sweeps out of the room, leaving his guards to escort the Ambassador to suitable guest quarters.

 

* * *

 

 

Arriving back to his room, Aladdin lays down on his bed ( _ which he still marvels at to this day because  _ god _ it is so freaking comfortable _ ), pulls one of his multitudes of pillows over his face, and screams out his frustrations.

 

When he is done, he sits up to see Abu sitting on the bed next to him, a worried from over his face. He had likely been reading in the room ( _ because Abu, now that he’s human and has access to an entire library, is becoming quite the scholar _ ) when Aladdin had burst in and had his minor breakdown.

 

“Al? You okay?” Abu’s voice breaks through Aladdin’s thoughts, and he tries to articulate all his worries to his best friend.

 

“I dunno Abu. I just got a  _ marriage proposal _ from Carrena! I have no idea what to do with that. I’m kinda freaking out. I don’t trust Carrena, but in this reality there’s no reason for it, and I don’t know how to convince everyone to say no.” He runs a hand through his hair, a mannerism that Zafa has tried to make him stop countless times, because it’s “unbecoming of a Prince,” and has yet to succeed entirely.

 

Abu, knowing his friend, can tell there’s something else bothering him. “And? What else? You’ve dealt with situations where you have to convince Babui and those guys of things that you know of because of your past. I mean, last year’s drought would have been devastating if you hadn’t convinced everyone to bring in the harvest early and ration water earlier.”

 

“Oh, I didn’t do much, you know that the reason it wasn’t that bad was because of my wish. There would have been so much bitterness and strife otherwise.” Seeing Abu’s pointed look, Aladdin conceded. “Fine, yeah, there’s something else that’s bothering me.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Aladdin tries to explain the thoughts that have been bouncing about in his head since day one, but that have come to prominence with this latest fiasco.

 

“It’s about Jasmine. I made my first wish because of her, and I’ve helped so many people because of it. But sometimes I forget why I had made that wish, that once upon a time I was so in love with the idea of a pretty girl paying attention to me, and then to find out that she was a  _ princess _ , with wealth and luxury and no worries about surviving to the next day...I was smitten.

 

“And now that I have all of that, I feel a little indebted to her, because when I wished away my reality I got exactly what I wanted in a way I definitely didn’t expect, and all because of her. But also, I’m conflicted because I could have sworn I loved her, but what if I was just in love with the  _ idea _ of her? What if I meet her one day, and she’s horrible and nothing like I remember? I want to love her, but I don’t know, and then this whole marriage proposal thing happened, and...ugh, I’m just so confused.”

 

Abu takes several moments to process Aladdin’s ramblings and come up with a response. “Hmm. Well, I’m relatively new to this whole human thing, but I think you’re overthinking it. There’s a chance you’ll never meet her again, or that if you do, she’ll be completely different, but if that’s true, you take it and move on. You be thankful that she was the catalyst for your wish-making, and you go on with your life. Or she’s just as amazing as you remember, you fall in love again, and you try and woo her yourself.”

 

Aladdin’s first thought was “ _ wow Abu’s really wise for an ex-monkey _ ” followed by " _dang_ _ , Abu has his life in order and I don’t, I’m so envious _ ” and his third was “ _ I have an idea _ .”


	6. Once Upon a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Agrabah, Aladdin's in for a trip down memory lane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello.  
> So I lied in the last chapter, because I said updates will be slow but then I updated within a few hours, so who knows at this point, amiright?  
> Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter. We're finally in Agrabah!  
> And I mentioned this last chapter, but I’m going to be taking inspiration from the live-action movie that just came out for some things. For the most part, it will follow the 1992 movie, but occasionally the live-action works better for my purposes, so I’ll use scenes from there.  
> Aladdin isn’t mine, but all my OCs and the idea is.

Aladdin isn’t sure how he should be feeling right now.

This isn’t a new state for him by any stretch of the imagination, he’s been stuck between emotions countless times in these last few years. Living in a new reality with two sets of memories can do that to you.

So, he’s used to be confused about his emotions. But after those first few confusing months, he’s not as used to being confused by his surroundings and how they make him feel.

For the first time in nearly three years, and yet for the first time ever, he’s standing in his old hideout in Agrabah, with its amazing view of Agrabah and the palace.

He can feel the nostalgia surge in his chest, aching and almost making him want to cry. This was the place he grew up in. The place he had found and made for himself because no one would make a home for him.

At the same time, he can’t help but feel pity for the person he once was, the one who had never known anything more than stealing, starving, and this dirty little hole of a home. Because he’s still Aladdin, still that street-rat of Agrabah, but he’s also now Prince Aladdin Ali of Diaus Biaraa, and that comes with wisdom and responsibility.

Responsibility he is, admittedly, avoiding at this present moment.

Because he’s not just in Agrabah again because he was feeling especially nostalgic and he wanted to see his old home; no, he had had an idea to solve his problems with love, and it involved being a street-rat again.

_I wonder how Zafa, Haim, and Malu are reacting right now. Malu’s probably laughing while Haim rages and Zafa has a headache. Heh, I can’t believe Zafa fell for my pillows in the bed trick. He’s too easy to trick._

He didn’t exactly have _permission_ for his idea, see. He had decided that he wanted to meet Jasmine again - but not as a Prince meeting a Princess, with all the pomp and prestige and expectations that come with their stations. He wants to meet her like he did the first time - as a common street rat, helping out a fellow commoner.

So he snuck out.

 _Abu is going to kill me,_ he thinks fondly, knowing his friend will be furious for being left out. 

Now he is back in Agrabah, dressed in the threadbare clothes of a beggar, and working to integrate himself with the city until the day he remembers he met Jasmine the first time arrives. He doesn’t know the exact date, but he does remember that it was about a month after his eighteenth birthday.

_Here we go._

 

* * *

 

 

Aladdin laughs in exhilaration as he vaults from one roof to another. He had forgotten how much fun a good heist could be (though it would probably be more accurate to say that he had rarely been able to enjoy his thieving because it was what kept him alive, rather than it being something to pass the time and make it so people would see him as a street-rat). Turning to stick his tongue out at the guards chasing him, he leaps off the tall building he was on, hearing shouts behind him as he falls. He tosses the bundle of carpet onto the shed below him and lets it crash and create a diversion for him while the Magic Carpet swoops in to save him.

He laughs again, feeling the adrenaline rush through him.

He had been in Agrabah a few days, and he knew that the day he was waiting for was coming soon. But before that - he sees a pair of siblings, huddled up in an alleyway, and he has no hesitation when he asks Carpet to set him down nearby. Smiling, he holds out both the loaf of bread he had stolen and the pouch of coin he had nicked off an oblivious noble. The little girl looks wary but accepts the gifts and scurries away with her little brother.

He pulls a cloth from a clothing line above him and covers his head as he strolls out of the alley and passes guards searching through the shed where the carpet he’d dropped had made a mess. Despite the years he had spent living in luxury, the memories and skills of a street-rat never really went away.

He hears a commotion nearby and turns onto the main road to see the cause.

It was Prince Achmed, of Carrena, in Agrabah to try and court the princess. He remembered this - he looks around, hoping to stop those kids from running into the street, but is moments too late. The siblings run out into the street, and Aladdin rushes to help.

Catching the cruel prince’s whip on his arm, he glares at the poor excuse for royalty. “I’d say that you should pick on someone who’s on the same level as you, but I doubt there’s anyone low enough to be in that range.” The prince’s face contorts in fury as he shoves Aladdin into the mud.

“You _cretin_! You are a worthless street-rat, you were born as a street rat, you’ll die a street-rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!” He sneers one last time before prancing into the palace.

Aladdin pulls himself out of the puddle of mud and begins to head home, a smile curling at his lips. He remembers last time, when he heard those words, feeling a desperate urge to prove that man and all the ones who laughed wrong, to prove that he would become something greater. He remembers feeling hopeless as he realized that the prince’s words were probably true.

Now, however, he’s had years of being a prince - a true prince, not a spoiled brat like Achmed - and he’s realized that while Genie may have been the one to give him a chance to be a prince, he is the one who made himself who he is now. Confident, adored by his people, and competent.

He can’t wait until Achmed learns his lesson by having his pants bitten off by the princess’ pet.

 

* * *

 

 

It is a day later that he hears a shout from the market as he lounges on a rooftop. Peering down, he can see the covered head of a woman as her wrist is held harshly by a large man.

_And showtime._

He jumps down and makes his way over. “-no, please, if you’ll let me go to the palace, I, I can ask the Sultan-”

The man draws his sword and raises it above his head. “Do you know what the penalty is for _stealing_?!”

“Let me go!”

Before anything can happen, Aladdin slides in between the two. “Woah, woah there! There’s no need for this! My cousin was just confused!” He whispers quietly to Jasmine, ‘Play along,’ then turns back to the angry merchant. “She’s not in the best mental state, if you know what I mean.”

Calming slightly, the merchant persisted. “She said she knew the Sultan!”

Aladdin rolls his eyes and slightly curses that Abu isn’t here. He’s just thankful that there was another convenient animal nearby. “She thinks the _camel’s_ the Sultan. Tragic.” Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Jasmine understands what he’s doing, and she bows to the camel.

He smiles reassuringly at the merchant as he takes Jasmine’s hand and begins to lead her away. “Don’t worry sir, there was no harm done, and we really need to get going, my cousin has a doctor’s appointment.”

He keeps the smile on his face for several more moments until they can duck off the street, and then he turns to the princess in disguise.

“Are you okay? Thanks for playing along. You can call me Al.”

She smiles at him and responds in kind. “I’m...Dahlia. And I’m fine. Thanks for helping me out there.”

“It’s no problem. You new in town? You seemed kinda lost.”

“Yes, I’m...not quite from around here.”

“Well then, let me show you around!”

He takes her hand and pulls her onto another street. Last time they were running away, and his hiding her in his home led to them being tracked down and caught by the guards. This time, with no one after them, he is going to give her an amazing tour of her city that she’s never seen. Maybe they’ll be able to spend more time together this go around.

 

* * *

 

 

As night falls, Aladdin leads Jasmine to the servants' door for the palace. “I believe this is your stop, Dahlia?”

She stutters, trying to deflect. “What, no, why would- why would you think that? I’m just- I mean...”

He smiles and decides to pretend he doesn’t realize she’s the princess. “I know who you are. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that you snuck out. I’m sure the princess is missing you though.”

“...what?”

“I mean, you’re her handmaiden, aren’t you? All that jewelry of yours is way too fancy to be anything but from a noble, and the cloth of your clothes are imported - it goes straight from the docks to the palace. So, the princess’ maid.”

“...Yes, exactly. That’s exactly who I am. I...am a maid. And I must be going now. Because the princess...needs help with her bath. Probably. Goodbye.” She rushes off into the palace, and Aladdin lets a smile curl at his lips. He had enjoyed spending time with her, and he thinks he may be falling in love with her all over again, without the cloud of envy and shock he had felt the first time.

“Goodbye, Princess.”


	7. Love Is An Open Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A former monkey, a Genie, and a Royal Advisor walk into Agrabah looking for a Prince. No, this is not the set up for a joke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Time for chapter 7!
> 
> So hi guys! It’s been about a month since my last update, which for me isn’t that long of a wait, so I’m celebrating! Whoo!
> 
> Now let’s begin the chapter!
> 
> (Also I’m so sorry in advance the Genie is so out of character I cannot write him well. *Crying emoji*)

In the past several years as a prince, Aladdin has been happier with his life than he had been for the entirety of his life before. He loves his people, Abu, Genie, and he loves that he now has a purpose in life. While he has had bad moments, and the world isn’t always sunshine and roses, he now knows what true happiness feels like.

And he’s feeling it again now, as he spends time with “Dahlia” exploring the city.

She is gorgeous and rich, but that is something he barely even notices anymore. Beyond any superficial attractiveness she has, she is also incredibly intelligent, kind, and willful. While he knows the laws forbid it, when she talks so passionately about her people and protecting them, he can see her as the next Sultan, ruling Agrabah into a time of unmatched peace and prosperity.

Aladdin has had so much fun these past few days with Jasmine, and when he sees Abu storming towards him, followed by the head of Diaus Biaraa royal guards Chelem, he can’t help his disappointed sigh. He knew it would happen eventually, but he had hoped he would have a little more time with Jasmine before the inevitable revelation that they were both royalty. It seems his vacation has come to an end.

“Aladdin Ali! Do you realize how much trouble you are in?!” _Oh no, the full name._ Abu is more furious than he has ever seen the once-monkey, and Chelem is glowering at everyone in his path. _I’m doomed._

“Hey Abu! How’s it going?” Aladdin should probably be more worried, but he can’t regret his actions. He wonders what Jasmine is thinking as she watches.

“Don’t you ‘hey’ me! You’re a _Prince_ . You can’t just run off on a whim! Haim was _livid_! I thought for sure he was going to have a heart attack he was so mad!” Abu is obviously trying to be mad for the sake of Chelem, but Aladdin can see the smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

Chelem, on the other hand, hasn’t let up on his glower, and it is only his sense of propriety that stops him from directing said glower at his prince. “Your Highness. While Zafa would like to compliment your sense of initiative, he asks that you refrain from traveling to a different country without warning, and without some kind of guard to protect you.”

“Yeah, sorry about-”

Abu interrupts, acting like he didn’t hear Aladdin. “I explained though, so instead of dragging you back to Diaus Biaraa, Zafa’s come here, and you get to meet the princess! I think Haim wants you to try and woo her, but Malu says that he doesn’t expect any sort of thing - either he’s still laughing about your reaction to that marriage proposal, or he has doubts about your ability to woo anyone.” 

Aladdin, feeling awkward about the fact that said princess is _right there_ , tries to say something, but he is interrupted once again. “I, personally, don’t think you could purposefully woo a burlap sack, but I’m sure if you trip and bumble your way into a friendship you’ll find yourself with a girlfriend completely by accident - princess or otherwise. You’re charming enough when you’re not trying.”

Aladdin can’t stop himself from putting his head in his hand in an effort to cover up his blush. He just knows, he _knows_ , that that scheming little monkey knows exactly who is standing next to them and is doing this on purpose. He also knows that Abu is going to be a little brat, so he should probably address the issue before Abu does something worse.

Turning to the princess-in-disguise, he offers a sheepish grin. She looks confused, but she is also beginning to look angry, and he does not want her temper turned on him; two days prior, she had been furious at a cruel merchant, and after the tongue-lashing she gave him, Aladdin doubted that merchant would ever return to Agrabah. “Ah, sorry Dahlia, I didn’t really mean to lie, but-”

Once again being interrupted, Aladdin finds himself in the shocking position of dangling from the shoulder of a man-turned monkey. _What the heck. How is. Abu is_ tiny _. He should not be able to lift me. Especially so easily! I’m like a foot taller than him!_

Aladdin can see his shock reflected in Jasmine’s face as he is carried away from the alley they had been standing in. He feels a pang of regret that he hadn’t had at least one more day with her like this, as commoners rather than royalty. He had been planning to show her this gorgeous little nook just outside the city, where there was an oasis hidden between some hills. He’d found it in his previous life, and it was the one place other than his home that he had ever truly relaxed in. _Well, that’s not happening now. Though I guess we could sneak out later or something._

Before he can muster his wits about him to say something in farewell, Abu carries out of sight, Chelem marching menacingly behind.

Resigned to his fate (yet not regretful in the least), Aladdin drops his head and sighs. _My ears are going to be ringing for_ hours _once Zafa’s done with me._

 

* * *

 

True to his prediction, Aladdin can feel his ears ringing hours later from the shouting that Zafa had treated him with upon his arrival at the camp outside Agrabah. While Aladdin admits that he zoned out pretty quickly into the rant, used to the exasperated scoldings, he does find himself carrying the slightest bit of regret for his actions, if only for the sake of his ears.

Now that said scolding is finished, he, Zafa, and Abu are lounging in the main tent and discussing the following day.

“Due to your rash actions,” Zafa is saying with a sharp glance at Aladdin, “we did not have time to set up a formal courtship request, nor even a formal request of any kind. Luckily, Agrabah is a close enough ally of ours that a sudden house call with minimal warning has been done before, and isn’t too much of a faux pax, but I urge you, my Prince, to stop making such sudden decisions.” When Aladdin gives a compliant nod, Zafa continues.

“We will head to the Palace at half past nine tomorrow, so be sure not to dally. I know how much you love your sleep, my Prince. We will be introduced to the Sultan and his daughter, Princess Jasmine. We have several coffers of jewels, coins, and several jars of our famous jams as tribute for our unexpected visit. It is my hope that we can foster a stronger relationship between our two nations. Haim has urged you to try and court the Princess, but any relationship between you two would merely be a bonus. I have no expectations. Do you understand?”

Aladdin shakes himself out of dreamy thoughts of Diaus Biaraa’s famous jams to answer. “Yup! This’ll be fun!” Zafa shakes his head with a sigh, seemingly resigned for the night to his informality. Aladdin is just excited to see how Jasmine reacts to him. Before he can say anything else, he is interrupted by a yawn. He hadn’t realized how tired he is. Being scolded is tiring.

Zafa smiles fondly at his young Prince and stands. “Now, it is getting late, and you are tired. Sleep, so you do not act like a child tomorrow in front of the Sultan.”

After Zafa leaves, Aladdin pushes back his sleepiness and turns to Abu so he can ask the thing that’s been bugging him all afternoon. “So, how on earth did you pick me up? I mean, you’ve definitely gotten bigger since the day we met, but you are still a foot shorter than me! Like, the only thing I can think of that could have let you do that is...” He grins, looking at the figure who had just appeared behind his oldest friend. “Magic. Genie! When did you get back?!”

“Hey Al! I arrived a couple of days ago to find the nation in a tizzy and you nowhere to be found! How’s it going, princey?” He laughs, rushing to the Genie to get a big blue hug. It is so good to see his friend again.

“Really good! How’s your vacation going? Got me any souvenirs?”

“It’s been fantastic! There’s this amazing little gift store on Alpha Centauri, oh, it’s a great place to get these little trinkets-” Genie stops in his ramblings for a moment to pop into existence two...things, giving them to Aladdin and Abu before continuing on. “-I can’t for the life of me remember the name for them but they enhance your most immediate want to the third degree!! So cool, right? And I also went to this great city - it was underneath the ocean, can you believe it? They had-”

Aladdin, while interested in the Genie’s adventures, finds himself entranced by the thing in his hand. He isn’t really sure how to describe it - it is somehow, quite literally, indescribable. If asked, he would not be able to tell someone what shape it has, or what color it is. All he knows is that as he looks at it, he can feel himself getting sleepier and sleepier the longer he stares. _Oh, that makes sense,_ he reasons drowsily. _I’m very...tired. So it’s making me really, really...really want to sleep..._

He’s asleep before he hits the floor.

(He really is quite lucky to have a Genie as a friend. Otherwise he would have ended up with a headache from actually hitting the floor, rather than spontaneously ended up on his bed. There is the fact that without Genie, he wouldn’t have been falling asleep due to an unnamed alien artifact given to him by said blue being, so that point might have been moot.

But Aladdin is asleep, and isn’t aware of any of this, so the whole thing is moot, in the end.)


	8. Someday My Prince Will Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin meets a Sultan, gets scared by an evil Advisor, and impresses a Princess. He also takes a nap, because he really needs one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Chapter Eight  
> I’m Doing Great  
> It’s Time To Create  
> Something That’s Worth Your Wait  
> (Hopefully)”  
> \--Kairia, 2019  
> (Not that there was any kind of wait because somehow I wrote two chapters in one day, which obviously means the end of the world. It was nice knowing you guys.)
> 
> Boom, I’m so good at random, spontaneous poetry.
> 
> So once again I’m taking a page out of the live-action Aladdin’s book, by saying that Jafar wasn’t in disguise when he tricked Aladdin into getting the lamp and stuff. So Aladdin knows who Jafar is and what he looks like.
> 
> Anyway, here’s the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy! :D
> 
> (Also once more please forgive me for writing Genie so badly. :O)

Aladdin experiences a rather disorientating moment as he wakes up, seeing as he doesn’t remember falling asleep, and he certainly doesn’t remember being in his bed. His confusion lasts until he gets a glimpse of neon blue in his periphery, then he rolls over. His train of thought as he wakes is something like _no Zafa I don’t wanna be a ballerina oh this is soft wait is it morning what the oh Genie gotcha Imma go back to sleep no waIT THE PRINCESS!_ It is at this point that he shoots upright with such momentum that he manages to fling himself out of his bed.

With a _thump_ , he lands on the floor and finds himself beset on two sides by the laughter of his friends. With a groan, he drags himself up and yanks a hand through his bedhead. “Thanks, guys, for helping me out. You two are such good friends.”

“Yeah, we are, aren’t we? I mean, we could have left you to find your own food, and clean your own clothes, but instead we did it for you!~”

“You betcha, Abu! I mean, I did most of the work, of course, but yeah! We’re real good friends, but I guess if it’s not appreciated, we’ll take it back...”

Aladdin, whose head had jerked up at the word “food,” quickly hurries to the table. “Oh no, you are both so amazing, really, I’m so hungry you guys are awesome.” Aladdin practically inhales his food, as he hadn’t realized how used to being full he had gotten until he was no longer getting three full meals a day, plus snacks. It had certainly reignited his desire to create some kind of program to feed his poorer subjects, while also making him selfishly grateful for his changed circumstances.

When he resurfaces from his meal, he finds Abu and Genie exchanging money. From what he can overhear, they had bet on how many plates he would be able to eat. The answer was all of them, which led to Genie gaining a couple of coins and a few days’ bragging rights. He smiles at his friends before heading to get dressed. While he knows from the past few days that Jasmine isn’t overly impressed by looks or riches, he can’t help but want to dress up for the girl he is probably falling in love with.

Feeling regal and handsome in his formal dress wear several minutes later, Aladdin admires his figure in the mirror for a moment to make sure that everything looks good, then after looking at the time, he hurries to his friends. Abu and Genie, who had bonded greatly in the months prior to Genie being freed and were still great friends, are getting along fine, laughing at something together. If he were to be honest with himself, Aladdin would say that they are probably laughing about him in some way. _They’re such horrible friends, I love them._

At his arrival, Genie transforms himself into a golden necklace for Aladdin to wear, saying that he wants to “Be there to see every moment of this romance for the ages!” which is a bit much, but very Genie, so Aladdin just goes along with it. Abu, already dressed nicely as his aide/manservant, waits for him by the tent entrance as he grabs a few important personal things, then leaves the rest for the servants to pack up.

By the time they start their entrance into the city, Aladdin is finding it hard to keep still in his seat. He is looking forward to seeing Jasmine again, looks forward to being honest with her, looks forward to spending time with each other... He feels a goofy smile on his face as he thinks about the phenomenal princess. He hopes that she might someday feel the same, but really he just wants to be friends. Anything more than that will be surprising and special.

He has the idle thought as they near the palace that _I’m glad we didn’t allow Genie to plan our entrance. He’d probably have had us sing a musical number or something._

 

* * *

 

 

Over the years, he had given little thought to the man who had tricked him into getting the Genie’s Lamp, then tried to kill him once he got it. Things had worked out in the end for him, and he was happy. He didn’t see the point in thinking about that man.

He rather wishes that he had, now, as said man is standing to the side of the Sultan as Advisor, wearing rich clothing that he hadn’t been in before, and staring very intensely at Aladdin. Intensely, and as though he recognizes Aladdin. 

He has already been introduced to the Sultan, and now they are only waiting on the Princess. Aladdin is rather wishing for Jasmine for hurry up a little, as he was beginning to get slightly intimidated. And worried. 

While he keeps a polite smile on his face, he can feel sweat rolling down his back. _Why is he staring at me like that? I’ve never met him in this life. He can’t recognize me. There’s no way he can recognize me. Unless..._ He can almost feel himself pale. _Unless he remembers. But how can that be? Genie said he straight up rewrote time. I need to ask him._ Now, rather than simply wanting to get the scrutiny off him and meet Jasmine, he wants this meeting over so he can talk to Genie. He is in a lot of trouble if someone like Jafar remembers.

He is quickly drawn out of his increasingly stressed thoughts by the door opening. He looks up, and find his breath torn out of him. _She...she’s gorgeous._ Jasmine descends the stairs wearing a beautiful gown of purple, the picture of grace, and Aladdin can’t help but let his mouth fall open in shock and awe. She has always been beautiful to him, even in her commoner disguise, but now... “Wow.” He breathes, and he can hear Abu snicker from behind him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s thinking _This is actually good, I probably look so shocked right now, she definitely won’t realize that I knew she was actually the princess._ But mostly he’s stunned speechless. Thoughtless.

Aladdin can tell the moment that Jasmine recognizes him, because while she doesn’t even stumble, there’s a slight pause and a look that flashes across her face for a second. He can almost see the storm brewing behind her eyes, and he gives her a helpless smile while Zafa announces both their tributes and that their goal in Agrabah is to improve relations between their two nations.

It is the Sultan who asks, looking impressed at their entourage and tributes. “And does this improvement in relations involve my daughter and marriage?”

Aladdin sees a flash of anger in Jasmine’s eyes, and he looks right at her as he answers. He makes sure to talk to her, not about her as if she weren’t in the room. “No. While I can admit that you are magnificent, Princess, I do not think of you as a commodity or a prize to be won. I would be honored if I could get to know you, but I do not expect anything from you. I swear.” As he bows, he keeps his eyes locked on hers, and so he doesn’t miss the small glimpse of hope and happiness that crosses her face before being squashed down. He smiles at her.

The Sultan laughs. “You are an interesting one, my boy. Come, it is nearing lunch. You and your advisor should join us for the meal. It will be fun!”

 

* * *

 

 

After a long and stressful lunch wherein Jasmine sent daggers his way to try and get answers, Jafar looked like he wanted to murder him, and the Sultan was somehow oblivious to the tension, Aladdin is ecstatic to get to the guest rooms he will be inhabiting while in Agrabah. 

Finally, he can get some answers from Genie. Once he asks, however, he begins to regret doing so.

“I don’t think he remembers, per say. However, there is the fact that to have made your wish and change time, you would have first had to have met him and found my lamp for him. Otherwise there would be a paradox and some serious problems - none of which have happened, so we’re good. Which means that while you don’t exist in this timeline as you once did, so thus you never entered the cave to get my lamp, you also did enter the cave. So Jafar is probably recognizing you as the person you were, while also not knowing who you were. He’ll probably come looking for the lamp, it’s a good thing we don’t have that anymore, haha!”

Aladdin stares. “...What? That, that didn’t make sense. How can I both do and not do something? I’m so confused. You’re not helping.”

“I really don’t know how to explain it any better, Al! I mean, time isn’t linear, it’s all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, y’know?”

“No. No, I really don’t know. You are making literally no sense. I’m pretty sure you’re just making up words now.”

“Al, chill out! It’s not a big deal. There’s nothing he can do! What’s the worst that could happen?”

(Famous last words, Genie. I wish you luck.)

Aladdin feels like arguing, but he has a headache from the long day, and he wants to talk to Jasmine once it gets dark, so he decides to just give up the topic and take a nap. 

He deserves it.


	9. Can You Feel The Love Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasmine gets the spotlight this chapter, and the two potential lovebirds finally get to have their talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I can’t believe I already have another chapter out. Three in less than 48 hours. I’m shocked.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit special! Not only is it longer than my usual, but it’s also from a different point of view than my usual!
> 
> Thanks so much to WarriorsCre3d on ff.net for giving me the idea to do this chapter in Jasmine’s point of view! I hope you guys like it!

Jasmine has spent her whole life treated as an object. She taught herself to strategize, she watched her father rule as Sultan and learned from his example, and she has no shame in admitting that she knows she is intelligent.

But because she was born female, because somehow not being male makes her lesser than others, Jasmine has never even been considered as the next ruler of Agrabah. Any idea she proposes to her father is dismissed, and she is locked away in the palace due to her father’s fear of her safety. There is no option of learning to how to defend herself or how to use a weapon. Because she is female, she is locked away like a prize to be won by the most powerful suitor.

She has been biding her time for years, watching the guard shifts and earning sympathy with some of the lesser guards. With the help of her best friend and maidservant Dahlia, Jasmine manages to sneak out of the palace, wanting to see her kingdom, to meet her people, to live, even if for just a day, like all the others in her kingdom.

It is beautiful, of course, but it is also terribly sad; she sees young children starving on the street, and it makes her so mad. She is trying to help one of these children get some food when her lack of knowledge about the rules of common society comes back to bite her, and she almost loses her hand, if not for him.

He is rugged, but handsome, with tousled dark hair and mischievous eyes. He expertly tricks the merchant she had accidentally angered, and pulls her away from the crowd. He seems to know the city like the back of his hand, as he weaves around people and through alleyways.

He introduces himself as Al, and she calls herself Dahlia so that he doesn’t realize that she’s the princess - she doesn’t want to be treated differently, nor does she want him to turn her in for sneaking out.

When he offers to show her around, she is excited, because despite this being her city, she has never seen any of it before today. To get to see Agrabah from this angle, this close, with the help of a native, is like a dream come true.  _ And it doesn’t help that my guide is pretty cute _ , she can’t help but think.

Jasmine spends the day with Al, and she finds herself liking him so much more than she’s liked any of the prospective suitors that came to visit.  _ To bad he isn’t a Prince... _

He is kind, and genuine, and very funny. He doesn’t treat her differently, or as if he were above her because of his gender. When she speaks about her love for her city, about how she wishes she could change things, and explains how she would do so, he doesn’t dismiss her. He listens, and seems genuinely interested in what she says and thinks.

At the end of the day, when he leads her to the Palace gates and for a moment she thinks she was found out, she is so very sad that she’ll probably never see this kind man again - and if she does, he’ll probably treat her differently now.

Instead, she once more manages to hide her status as the Princess, and hurries away with a flustered excuse. 

When she tells Dahlia all that happens, she laughs at Jasmine’s awkwardness, and teases her about Al. 

Jasmine hopes she can see him again.

 

* * *

 

 

When she sneaks out again the next day, she does her best not to hope to see Al again. She doesn’t want her hopes to be crushed if they don’t run into each other again, yet despite that she can’t help but feel a swell of joy when he’s right there to continue their tour.

The next few days pass in a blur of happiness, and Jasmine finds her mourning the laws that forbid a princess from marrying a commoner. While she can’t say she’s in love with Al, not yet, she can certainly see herself spending her life with him, whether as friends or as something more.

But. Well, that’s not going to happen, unfortunately. It can’t.

The day before her life changes, she is spending her free time with Al. He is telling her of a hidden oasis he wants to show her when a voice interrupts him.

“Aladdin Ali! Do you realize how much trouble you are in?!” For the moment dismissing the shout, for Aladdin Ali is the name of the Prince of Diaus Biaraa and she’s never met him, she soon begins to pay attention when Al responds to the shouter.

“Hey Abu! How’s it going?” He sounds unconcerned, but she doesn’t know how. He is being addressed as a Prince, yet he’s acting like it is normal.

“Don’t you ‘hey’ me! You’re a  _ Prince _ . You can’t just run off on a whim! Haim was  _ livid _ ! I thought for sure he was going to have a heart attack he was so mad!” The boy, who stands at barely her height, seems to be trying to contain his laughter, but Jasmine can’t bring herself to care enough to think about why.  _ Prince? But...Al isn’t a prince. He can’t be. But then, why else would this boy be calling him such? _

The man standing just behind the boy speaks up now, still glaring at everything but Al. “Your Highness. While Zafa would like to compliment your sense of initiative, he asks that you refrain from traveling to a different country without warning, and without some kind of guard to protect you.”

“Yeah, sorry about-”

There is more conversation, and she listens to it, growing slowly angry as the strange people begin to talk about wooing the princess as though it were a game, but mostly she swims in confusion and denial. She doesn’t want the one person she has come to rely on to believe in her to have been lying to her, but she can’t see any other outcome of this conversation.

She is burning with confusion and anger by the time Al,  _ Aladdin _ , finally turns to her, but before he can get more than a few words out, the boy - who is small and thin and lacking any sort of muscle - picks up Al with ease and carries him away like a sack of flour. Judging from Al’s shocked look, he was not expecting it either.

Before she can muster up the brain power to do anything, Al is gone, and she finds herself alone.

In a daze, she decides to head back to the palace, not wanting to try and explore on her own.

_ I think I need a nap... _

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the previous passed in a haze, Jasmine pays little mind to her father’s declaration that another prince would be visiting around midday. It will likely be another oafish suitor with no respect for her or her country. Instead, she studies until it is time to meet the delegation, hoping to get her mind off Al and his possible deception.

She regrets her inattention, however, when she nearly trips upon seeing Al -  _ Aladdin Ali, peasant prince of Diaus Biaraa _ \- standing before her father. He is dressed up in silky cream colored clothes with gold jewelry, and she wars against herself. Part of her is thinking  _ wow, he really cleans up nice, I thought he was handsome before, _ another part rages that  _ he  _ lied _ to me, he was probably stringing me along, how could I be so stupid?! _ While a third muses  _ he does look shocked, maybe he didn’t realize? I should give him the benefit of the doubt. _

By the time she manages to shove her conflicted feelings into a box to examine later, her father is asking if Al,  _ Aladdin _ , intends to court Jasmine. The bitter part of her twists and rises up.  _ Here it is. He’ll say yes, that he wants to win me over, and it’ll prove that his whole Al persona was a facade. _

Instead, she is shocked when he looks at her and addresses her directly, rather than ignoring her presence.

“No. While I can admit that you are magnificent, Princess, I do not think of you as a commodity or a prize to be won. I would be honored if I could get to know you, but I do not expect anything from you. I swear.” As he bows, she can almost feel the tears well up in her eyes as she begins to hope against hope, but she manages to hide them away. His smile makes it hard to keep her yearning hidden.

Her father laughs and invites the prince and his entourage to lunch. She wishes she could drag Aladdin away so that she could get answers from him, but she resigns herself to waiting. It wouldn’t do to have to explain to her father that she had been sneaking out. She’d never be able to go anywhere ever again if he knew.

_ Just you wait,  _ Aladdin _. I’m getting my answers. You can count on that. _

 

* * *

 

 

That night, Jasmine waits on her balcony, expecting Aladdin to arrive any minute. He had sent a note with his small manservant, the same one who had carried him away the day before, saying he would come to explain things that night. But if she has to wait even five minutes more, she is going to go looking for him, note or no.

Before she can do anything drastic, Aladdin appears in front of her, and she jolts backwards in alarm. “Wh-what the?! How are you doing that?! Where did you come from!?”

He was floating before her balcony, and he seemed clueless as to why she was so alarmed. “I’m using Carpet, of course. I promised to have the servants give him a nice deep clean if he let me use him to get here so I wouldn’t get in trouble for visiting your room in the middle of the night. Sorry for the surprise!”

Placing a hand on her chest to try and calm her racing heart, she moves closer and peers down, and sure enough, Aladdin is standing on a flying carpet. As she watches, one of the golden tassels on the corners waves at her, and she faintly waves back. She jumps when Aladdin spoke again. “So I was wondering if I could come in? I’d like to talk to you.”

She nods, and steps back to let him land. She leads him to the table she had asked Dahlia to set up for her, with some snacks and drinks. She expected this to be a long talk.

“So you’re a prince, huh?” She asks, watching his face for any signs of deception.

He grins. “So you’re a princess, hmm?” He asks in return, and she laughs because, well, yeah, that’s fair. “You go first? I imagine my explanation will take longer.”

She nods, as that’s probably true, and does her best to explain. “I felt...trapped, in the palace. My father never lets me out, and I wanted to see my people. I have one purpose as a Princess, and it is to be a pretty face for the Sultan to show about. I want to be more than that. I want-” She stops and looks down. She’s never said it out loud to anyone other than Dahlia, her oldest and dearest friend, and even Dahlia hadn’t believed it could ever happen.

“You want to become Sultan, right?” Shocked, she looks back at Aladdin. He is smiling at her, yet it is not a mocking smile. He seems to understand, like he knows what she means, and does not judge her for it. “You look at your country, how beautiful it is, and can’t help but think, ‘I could do better. I could make it gorgeous. There is so much I can do, if someone just let me.’ Right?”

She nods, stunned that there is someone who understands her so well. “How...?”

“How do I know? I’ve felt the same way. You know how I was not raised a prince?” She nods, for the search for the missing Prince of Diaus Biaraa was legendary, and the whole continent heard when he was finally found. “I lived as a commoner for most of my life, and I have so many memories of thinking ‘if only I had power, I could make things better. I would never let anyone else ever have to skip a meal to feed their siblings, or have to sell their body to get by. I saw it way too often as a child, and I wanted to stop it. And now, I have the power, but I don’t yet have the knowledge to fully help all those I want to. You’re the opposite. You have the knowledge and drive, but you lack the power. I think that’s wrong. You’d be an amazing Sultana.”

When he smiles at her again, it is beaming and so full of trust and belief that Jasmine can feel herself tear up. Never, never at all in her life, as she felt so understood and believed in, and it is by this man who she has known for less than a week. 

Letting her regain her composure, Aladdin continues speaking. “I knew that my advisors would be sending me to Agrabah soon, since you are close allies with us, and I wanted to get to know the kingdom better before being introduced. So I snuck away to come to Agrabah as a commoner so I could see the true parts of the kingdom, rather than the gilded world of the court. And then I met you, ‘Dahlia.’ And you were magnificent, so rather than returning to my kingdom and letting my advisors send me here officially, I decided to stay until I had to leave.” He ducks his head and blushes. “I wanted to spend more time with you.”

She blushes as well at his words, and she can feel any anger she felt toward him melt away. He had not meant to deceive, and he wasn’t angry at her for doing the same thing. They were on even ground.

They sat together in silence for several minutes, before Aladdin interrupted the quiet. “I was thinking...I know you got to see a lot of Agrabah when I was showing it to you, but there’s one view you haven’t got. Do you want to see.”

Recalling the joy that she had felt while seeing her city, she all but leaps to her feet in excitement. “Yes! Of course, I would love to.”

He grins at her excitement and walks back over to his carpet, which had been lounging over the edge of the balcony while they talked. He steps onto the magical object, and turns to her with his hand held out. She doesn’t hesitate to take his hand and step onto the carpet.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.


	10. So This Is Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin and Jasmine go on a magic carpet ride, while someone plots in the basement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10!!
> 
> I am on a roll and I really hope this trend of frequent updates continues! We’re approaching the end, which is awesome but also intimidating, so we’ll see how it goes.
> 
> This one is a little shorter than most of my recent chapters, but I felt it was at a good place to stop and such.
> 
> I hope you guys like the different points of view in this chapter! If you don’t, let me know and I won’t do them as much!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy! :D

Aladdin hadn’t been planning on taking Jasmine on a flight on Carpet when he sent the note to her for her to meet with him. He had wanted to explain to her as much as he could, so that she wouldn’t hate him. But after their talk on her balcony, he simply couldn’t stop himself from offering her a trip on the magic carpet.

So here he sits, with the girl of his dreams next to him, and he can’t help his grin. Carpet, wanting to impress, is putting on quite the show. The rug is doing loops in the air, dodging between tall buildings and skimming the water of the bay. At his side, Jasmine laughs freely into the wind, and he feels his stomach do loop-de-loops in time with Carpet’s at the sound. Watching her now, relaxed and joyful at this small chance of freedom, he thinks he has never seen someone so beautiful.

They fly over the whole city, and as they pass places he had shown her in the days previous, he points them out and they share a laugh or a smile as they remember the moments shared together before they knew who the other truly was. They wind through the streets of Agrabah, enjoying the cool air of the night and the calmness of the air around them.

Hours after they first stepped on Carpet, they are hovering in the air, watching a festival going on in the town below. Jasmine sighs and leans against his side. “I wish this moment could last forever.”

Slowly putting his arm around her, giving her time to pull back if she wants to, leans back into her. “I understand completely. The world from up here is so happy. All the problems seem so tiny and insignificant. So strife or sadness, and everyone equal.”

She tucks her head into the crook of his neck. “I can’t believe how well you seem to understand me. It feels like I’ve known you forever.”

He laughs softly. “I know what you mean. It’s incredible. I feel like I don’t have to hide anything from you. I could tell you any secrets I had, and you would simply accept them all.”

“Hmm. I agree.”

They sit in silence for a long while, before he has to catch a yawn from escaping, and he knows they should probably start heading back. He taps Carpet and the rug begins drifting slowly back towards the palace. Jasmine shifts from where she’s almost lying on him, and he presses him face into her hair for a quick hug before pulling back with a grin. She smiles up at him, and they simply smile at each other until the carpet softly lets them off at her balcony.

He helps her up, and presses a kiss to her hands with a bow. She laughs in amusement, and he grins at her, still endlessly charmed by her beautiful laugh. “My Princess, I’m afraid it is time for me to say goodbye. However, I would be honored if you would let me spend time with you once more in the morning. We could have lunch together.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, my Prince.”

“Then I shall count the minutes, Jasmine.”

“As will I, Aladdin.”

With one final exchange of smiles, he returns to Carpet and lets it take him away from the Princess’s rooms. He keeps his eyes on the balcony he just left, already sad to be away, and when they arrive back in his guest quarters, he lets himself fall onto his bed.

A huge besotted grin stretches across his face, and though he knows Genie and Abu are curious about what happened, he ignores them, choosing instead to close his eyes and replay the night over in his head.

He drifts off to sleep still smiling, forgetting all his worries.

_So this is love..._

 

* * *

 

 

Jasmine does not think she has ever been as happy as she is now. She feels like she is floating as she drifts over to her vanity to grab a brush. She begins to pull the brush through her hair, careful of the knots that have appeared after their flight. If she had had the choice, they would have spent the rest of the night soaring among the stars, never to be brought down by the expectations and problems of the rest of humanity. If it had been her choice, she wouldn’t have ever brought them back down to earth. But Aladdin...

Oh, Aladdin, though she knows he felt the same way, had had the strength of will to ground them.

For the first time in her life, she thinks that there might just be something more important in her life than her beloved kingdom. _If he asked_ , she thinks to herself, _I think I might run away with him._

But he would never ask, because she knows he feels the same way about Diaus Biaraa as she does about Agrabah. A sense of duty, commitment, and devotion for this magnificent land full of amazing people. And she falls a little bit more in love with him because of that.

She doesn’t realize she’s humming until Dahlia comes up behind her, helping her get her hair into a simple braid for bed, and asks “My Princess, what is that you’re humming? I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

Jasmine stops to consider what she had just been humming. _Oh, I see._ “I made it up, Dahlia. It reminds me of someone.”

“A certain handsome prince, perhaps?”

Jasmine simply gives her best friend a smile and goes back to humming.

_Mmmmmm, Mmmmmm, So this is love, Mmmmmm._

_So this is love..._

 

* * *

 

 

Unknown to both lovebirds, deep in the castle a tall man in red and black paces and plots.

He knows that brat prince - his face is familiar, and yet he simply cannot place it. For a man of such wisdom and power such as he, the Great Vizier Jafar, this lack of memory is inconceivable. He has worked himself out from the pits of the world and into one of the most coveted places, and if he could just get to his rightful place on the throne of Agrabah, he would finally have all that he wished for a coveted.

And yet somehow, he just knows that Aladdin brat had something to do with the Cave of Wonders disappearing. He had barely been able to get out of range before the entire Cave simply collapsed and disappeared just a week ago. His magic, one of the strongest in the lands, could not find a single trace of the Cave, and so he was barred from finding the thing he has spent years now searching for.

The lamp. The Genie’s lamp. He must have it, for how else could he attain his wishes in a reasonable time frame.

Wait. He pauses in his pacing. _That’s it!_ The boy - the boy must be one of those street rats he had sent into the cave in the hopes of one of them being the “diamond in the rough” able to enter. None had left, but there was one who had been in the Cave when it collapsed. Somehow, he cannot recall the boys face or name. It must be the brat prince. He had likely made a wish to become a prince - if he remembers correctly he had some sort of crush on the princess, so becoming a prince would make it possible to marry her.

_I had no idea the Genie’s magic was quite so powerful! I had heard rumors, but to so completely alter reality...I must have it._

The boy couldn’t have already used all three of his wishes, it had hardly been even a week, and even a street rat must understand moderation. So the boy must still have the lamp. _I just need to steal it, and I will have the power of the cosmos at my command._

Mind made up, Jafar sweeps out of his secret rooms, calling for his bird as he does.

“Iago! I have a job for you!”


	11. Be Prepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jafar plots and Aladdin is in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re off to the next chapter! Chapter 11!
> 
> Things are really picking up plot-wise...

The servants who work in the palace of Agrabah are, like most in their station, privy to many secrets they really shouldn’t be. They are invisible to so many of the rich and powerful that often sensitive information will be spoken of in their presence without thought.

It is for this reason that there is one corridor in the palace that the servants do their best to avoid as often as possible. To the unaware, it is simply a hallway; there is nothing special about it. However, the servants know something most do not: if one were to push one of the walls in the right way, the entrance to a hidden passageway would appear. It is dark, and certainly not in the palace plans. However, this fact alone does not cause the well-informed servants of Agrabah to fear it. Rather, it is who, exactly, used this hidden passage that causes such fear. 

Jafar, Grand Vizier of Agrabah, is an odd man, and most who encounter him either fear him or avoid him - or both. Often, the gossip of the palace is that the Vizier simply had to be using some kind of spell or hypnotism to be so well-trusted by the Sultan. It is mostly a joke, of course, and so life moves on without issue. 

On this particular day, the morning after Prince Aladdin Ali of Diaus Biaraa arrived, the servants are especially determined to avoid Jafar’s “secret” lair. So determined, in fact, that often someone will take a much longer path even if it causes them to be severely punished. 

The reason?

There is a furious and dark aura emanating from the passageway, even hidden as it is, and no one wants to be the one to find out why. 

Jafar, they know, is a volatile man, and to be at the wrong place at the wrong time can end with something much worse than simply being let go from service.

So the servants do their very best to avoid the Grand Vizier, and the rest of the castle remains oblivious. 

For now. 

 

* * *

 

 

 _No no no no NO! Where is it?!_ Jafar paces angrily. He had sent Iago to get the lamp from the imposter prince, yet it is nowhere to be seen. While Jafar hates to admit it, his talkative bird can be competent when necessary, so for him to fail so completely...

_It is almost as if the boy doesn’t have the lamp, but that cannot be! I am not wrong, and the boy is familiar. He must have hidden it. But how could he hide it so well that not even Iago could find it? And why would he? He is simply a street rat who got lucky, he has no reason to be so paranoid. Unless..._

Jafar jerks to a stop. 

_Unless he knows there is something to fear. What if he recognizes me? What if he knows what I am planning?_

His eyes narrowing, Jafar begins to plot once more. He cannot have a street rat jeopardizing his plan. And if the boy knows anything, he is a risk to Jafar’s plans. 

Which means he has to be _dealt with_. 

 

* * *

 

 

Aladdin is on top of the world. He had spent an amazing night with Jasmine, and at breakfast, he had gotten along quite well with the Sultan. Now, he is headed off to the kitchen to get food for a picnic. On his tour of the castle the day before, he had seen some beautiful gardens, and he plans to have lunch with Jasmine there. It will be his first time truly alone with Jasmine as their true selves, as even last night they had been with Carpet, and the rug was a huge gossip. 

He hums happily to himself as he strolls along the extravagant halls of the palace, trying to remember the way to the kitchen. 

He hears someone behind him, and he turns to find a scowling man. He is wearing the outfit of one of the servants, and so Aladdin decides to ask him for directions. “Hello! I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the kitchens? I seem to have gotten lost!” He tries his best to keep his smile on his face as the man simply continues staring at him. Aladdin laughs nervously. “Ah, you know what, I’m sure I can figure it out on my own. I don’t want to bother you. Goodbye!”

He quickly turns to try and speed walk away, but bumps right into a tall, buff man. He is also scowling at Aladdin, and he is beginning to wonder if he had accidentally offended anywho already. _I haven’t even been here one day! What did I do?_

Before he can open his mouth to ask that the man step aside, he feels a sharp pain on the back of his head. 

Everything goes dark.

 

* * *

 

 

Jasmine frowns as she glances at the time. Aladdin had promised to be there to get her for their lunch an hour ago, and yet he still isn’t here. Normally, at this point she would think that she was being fooled and mocked, but after last night...She can’t help but trust him completely. 

Which means something is wrong. 

She gets up from where she had been waiting for the last half hour and after telling Dahlia to tell Aladdin where she’s gone if he stops by, she heads to his room. 

Once she arrives and knocks, the door is answered by Aladdin’s scrawny yet miraculously strong aide. She believes she remembers him being called Abu. 

His eyes widen at the sight of her, and he bows. “Pardon me, your majesty, I wasn’t expecting you to be here. How may I help you?”

Jasmine frowns into the room behind him, not seeing Aladdin. “Aladdin is late, and I can’t find him. Do you know where he is?”

Abu begins to frown as well. “That’s odd. He left around 45 minutes ago to get some food for you guys. I believe he was planning a picnic in the gardens. He was so excited, I can’t believe he’d be late.”

Jasmine tightens her lips and curses in her head. She wishes she hadn’t been right. She would have preferred to have been stood up than for something to have happened to Aladdin. “I was afraid you’d say something like that. Abu, I think something’s wrong.”

He nods. “Yeah, I got the same feeling. We should go look for him. But first,” he pauses and pops back into the room. When he returns, he is followed by a tall black man. He is frowning, which seems wrong on his face, despite her never having seen him before. 

“Princess, this is Aziz *****. He is a good friend of the Prince’s and will help us look.”

She nods. “Okay. Since you said he was going to get food, I will check in the kitchens. Abu, if you could check the gardens. Aziz-“

She is interrupted. “I got the rest of the palace. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to Al.” With the intense look on his face and his stormy eyes, she can’t bring herself to doubt him. 

“Very well. Meet back here, either in two hours, or if you find him. Good luck to you both.”

“And to you as well, Princess.” They chorus. 

She watches as the two friends head off in different directions, and she can’t help the worried churning of her stomach. 

_Hold on, Aladdin. We’re coming to find you._

 

* * *

 

 

Aladdin wakes up slowly to a massive headache and pinching around his wrists and ankles. He knows what it feels like to be tied up with rope, but he has no idea why he’s here. He shakes his head to try and clear it, only to immediately regret it as his head begins to hurt even more. He groans in pain. 

“I see that you’re awake.”

He jolts backward from the sudden voice, and squints open his eyes enough to see a blur of red and black. Eventually, his eyesight clears enough that he can see who has him tied up as he is. 

It’s Jafar. 

He pales in fear. 

“I see you know when to fear your betters, street rat. Now, you will tell me exactly where you hid the lamp, or I will do something incredibly...unpleasant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *So I got Genie’s “name” off a behind-the-name website. The original was Abd Al-Aziz, which meant “servant of the powerful,” by I decided to drop the ‘abd al’ part because Genie isn’t serving anyone anymore. I thought it was fitting, but if I just totally screwed up, please someone tell me!


	12. I've Got No Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin falls, and Genie is furious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12, here we go.
> 
> So I attempt to do the Genie's point of view in this chapter and I'm nervous because he's an immortal being with cosmic powers who was voiced by the amazing Robin Williams, how am I supposed to live up to that? Please give me constructive criticism.
> 
> Also I updated this fic on fanfiction.net yesterday but then forgot to update it here, so sorry or the slight delay.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy! :D

Aladdin isn't exactly new to facing his own mortality. In his time as a street rat, he had nearly starved to death countless times. Then, of course, was the threat of death, or jailing followed by execution, if he were to be caught stealing. And while he tried to stay out of such conflicts, it wasn't rare to have his fellow street rats try to kill him to get his stolen prizes.

So no, Aladdin cannot say that he is experiencing a new emotion in this instance.

Now, granted, being tied to a chair one wobble away from falling into the roiling sea as a furious and intimidating man threatens him is a new one for him, but life is all about experiencing new things, right?

Life is also about trying to deflect mortal terror using bad humor and falsely lighthearted statements.

Life is weird.

But that is beside the point, the point being said dangerous place that Aladdin has found himself in.

 _Honestly_ , he thinks in irritation, _why does all of this have to happen to me?_ He's sick of weirdos trying to use him to get special lamps. Sure, it's only happened to him twice so far, but given the oddness of the situation, he thinks it happening at all is honestly too many times.

_Deflecting with humor in bad situations, always a good tactic._

He doesn't expect anyone is looking for him, as Genie and Abu will think he's with Jasmine, and she will likely believe he stood her up. He has no way out of this situation, and he can't even reason with the man in front of him.

Jafar, standing several feet above Aladdin with an intimidating presence that makes him seem even taller, is not a pleasant sight to see. Aladdin has been worried about Jafar since he arrived in Agrabah, but had pushed it aside as he focused on Jasmine. Now, he regrets it, and he hopes that Genie, at least, will be able to figure it all out and avenge him.

Jafar doesn't seem to be truly listening to him, instead repeating the same question over and over. "Where is the lamp? It has only been a week since the cave collapsed, you can't have already used all three wishes."

Aladdin felt a moment of relief - sure, Jafar recognized him as a former street rat, but he didn't seem to know the truth, only having assumptions about what happened. _He doesn't know about the time travel._ He then begins to repeat himself for the umpteenth time. "I told you, I have no idea what you're talking about! Last week I was in my kingdom preparing for the journey here! But if you want a lamp, I have quite a few in my coffers if you want them-"

" **NO!** " Jafar thundered. "I do not want any old lamp. I want the Genie's lamp, which I know you have!" He looks Aladdin up and down then smirks. "But I guess you really won't tell me. Very well. You will die then - or be saved by your Genie, in which case I will have been proven right. Goodbye, _Aladdin_."

It hits Aladdin, then. Jafar is sneering, tilting Aladdin further back out of the window, and Aladdin can feel the familiar way his stomach clenches and drops from when he and Carpet practice tricks in the air. But while he is about to go into a terrifying freefall, there isn't any magic carpet there to save him this time.

He's going to die.

_Oh god..._

He falls.

 

* * *

 

Genie has been alive for a long time. He may have been trapped in a lamp for most of that time, but when he wasn't sleeping away the years, he could listen to the world outside his lamp if he wished. He'd even had some masters who kept him around for years upon years, waiting for the perfect wish to come upon them. So he has quite a bit of experience with the world.

When he first meets Aladdin, he expects things to go as they usually do; Genie will tell his eager new master the rules and restrictions (with some possible complaining from said master), Aladdin will make his first wish, and depending on the person there'll either be a second and third wish following soon after, or Genie will follow him around until he thinks of the perfect wishes.

None of those things happen. For the first time in a long while, Genie is surprised.

First, Aladdin doesn't even realize that he's summoned a genie. He has no first wish prepared, and he needs the whole genie and wishes shebang to be explained to him. It's almost...refreshing. And then, this young boy _tricks_ him ( _him_ , the great and powerful Genie!) into getting one wish for free. Genie is irritated, but also a little amused.

And then Aladdin asks what _Genie's_ wish is, and promises to set him free for his third wish. Genie has been promised such before, and it never actually happens, but he can't help the hope rising in his chest.

All these things combine, and Genie admits he is getting rather...attached. So when this boy - so genuine and in love - wishes to be a prince so he can try and win the affections of the princess he admires, well.

Genie may have overdone it a little.

But he can't bring himself to regret it, as he watches the street rat he first met become a kind prince, yet retain the genuine and kind parts of himself. He had had an inkling that this boy would be a good ruler before, but now he is sure he will be a _great_ one.

And this notion is only strengthened when rather than being selfish, Aladdin's second wish is about the safety of his kingdom and his people. Again, Genie can't help but pour his all into granting this wish, and he looks forward to the ways this one will change over time.

Genie can admit, there are a few tense days where he worries that Aladdin had forgotten his promise, where he worries that maybe he wouldn't get freed after all. But Aladdin comes through after all, and Genie is _free_.

 _He's Free._ Genie doesn't know what to do with himself - he's never been free, not that he can remember, and now he has the world at his fingertips. With barely a thought, he is off on an adventure around the world, only just remembering to check that Al is okay.

He travels. He sees the world in a way he never has before. He disguises himself as a human, and swears off his magic for weeks at a time, then goes months without setting a foot on the ground. He lets himself watch plays without any ulterior motives, eats all the food he can find and finally understands the humans' obsession with it. He makes a few stops back in Diaus Biaraa from time to time to check in on his friends, but for the most part he is actually living for the first time in his life.

So it is not surprising in the least that he finds himself incredibly fond of Aladdin. When he finds out about Al's plan to finally go to Agrabah to woo his princess, Genie can't pass up the chance to play matchmaker. It is so fun to see Aladdin so smitten after his date with the princess. He might even say he considers the boy as a kind of nephew - not quite son, but almost.

It is also not surprising, then, that when Genie discovers that Aladdin is missing, he is utterly _pissed off_. He will _not_ allow his friend, his family, to be harmed in any way. Whoever had Aladdin is going to have _hell to pay._

And he thinks he knows just who is behind all of this. Now he just has to find that vile vizier.

 

* * *

 

Far away, in another kingdom, an entire population stops in place. They don't know how or why, but every single one of them can feel their heart freeze. Their prince, the one who had been raised among them and grown to be a just and kind king, is in trouble, in terrible peril.

As one, they pray for his well-being.

After all, a prince is the heart of a kingdom, and like Genie, the Genie's Magic has become fond of the kind prince. It will do whatever it takes to protect Aladdin. His second wish might just be the thing that saves him.


	13. Under The Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neither Jasmine nor Genie are happy. Jafar is in BIG trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I never published my newest chapter on here! :O   
> On ff.net I published a chapter Oct 26, but forgot to update here as well. My bad! Sorry about that guys!
> 
> Anyway, I just wanna say thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, bookmarks, or subscribes! It really means a lot. :D
> 
> All my love to all of you, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. <3

When Aladdin hits the water, he blacks out.

When he wakes, he is already far below the surface, and his lungs are empty of air. He jerks, trying to get out of the ropes holding him, and instead inhales some of the water around him. He instinctively tries coughing, but it only worsens his predicament. 

His vision, already blurry from being underwater, begins to fade even more, and his head becomes fuzzy. His panic begins to fade away, and despite his best efforts, his body stops its struggles.

The last thing he sees is blue.

 

* * *

 

Jasmine arrives just in time to see Aladdin go over the edge.

When deciding where to look for Aladdin, she had decided to start with the most obvious seeming culprit: Jafar. Not only was he creepy and sinister as a default state, but she knew that he had been hungering over becoming Sultan for years. The easiest and most legitimate way to do that would be for Jafar to marry her, and he had certainly been pleased at the many failures before Aladdin came along.

Now, after the fuss she had put up against all the other potential suitors not showing against Aladdin, Jasmine wouldn’t be surprised if the whole palace believes they will wed. (She wouldn’t necessarily be against that, but it isn’t what she truly  _ yearns _ for. No, that place in her heart is filled by her dedication towards her great nation.) And that possibility could have led Jafar to decide he needed to take matters into his own hands.

So, she had planned on storming into Jafar’s ‘secret’ room (really, no one else seemed to realize that the staff saw a lot more than they let on, and that they were an amazing asset to have on your side, so she likely knew more about this castle and the people in it than her father and Jafar put together, simply from asking the servants; thus, it shouldn’t be a surprise that she certainly knew where Jafar supposedly secret lair was) and shocking him into telling the truth. If he wasn’t behind Aladdin’s disappearance, then she would at least have proof that he had designs for the throne. If he was, then she would catch him in the act.

She doesn’t expect to see him toss the man who might just be the love of her life (if they were to be given enough time, of course) over the balcony into the dangerous waters below.

She shouts and lunges for the window, hoping against hope that maybe, _ maybe _ , she’d be able to stop Aladdin’s fall, to save him somehow. Instead, she is left leaning against the balcony rails as she watches the prince splash into the waves below.

She can feel numbness creep up on her, a familiar feeling she recalls from when her mother died, a sense of hopelessness and loss rising up and quelling all other emotions. But this time, it is not some illness she cannot fight that has taken someone she cares about, this time it is a person, a person right next to her who is conveniently within punching distance. She turns her head and stares dully at the royal advisor to her right.  _ Within punching distance, and unsuspecting. _

So instead of letting herself shutdown and crumble beneath her despair, she turns it all into pure rage and whirls to advance on Jafar. Distantly, she registers that he had been speaking the entire time, and vaguely she knows he is making excuses, trying to get out of the fact he had just murdered a foreign prince, but she finds that she does.  _ Not.  _ **_Care._ ** She curls up her fists, like she remembers one of the servants showing her back when she asked how the servant was able to defend herself against the arrogant males in the palace.  _ Don’t tuck in your thumb. Imagine exactly where you’re going to be landing your fist, and don’t stray your focus. Put your whole body into the punch. _

Jasmine is viciously pleased when she finds herself stood over Jafar, his face a laughable picture of bewilderment and pain. Her knuckles throb, but pain is better than nothing at this point, and already she can feel the numbness receding, leaving only anger. She sneers down at this man who she utterly despises, and goes to open her mouth to call the guards to arrest Jafar. But she’s interrupted before she can.

“Hey princess. Nice right hook! Now, I have something to return to you, and you have something I would  _ love _ to get my hands on.” The voice is familiar, though the dark emotions in it are new, and she turns around to look at the speaker.

And nearly falls to her knees at the emotions that rush through her.

 

* * *

 

**_Five minutes earlier..._ **

Genie can safely say that if it were possible for him to have a heart attack, he would have had several in the past several minutes. For one thing, his blood pressure (had he had any blood, that is) had to be through the roof from the sheer rage he was feeling at this point. For another, watching the boy he saw as family fall into the ocean  _ and then not come back up _ while Genie was too far away to immediately do anything, nearly killed him just from the way his (nonexistent-as-a-physical-thing) heart went from galloping at hundreds of miles an hour to absolute stillness in an instant.

Genie dives into the water, searching frantically for Aladdin.  _ He can’t have gotten far _ , Genie thinks,  _ no matter how restless the waves are _ . After several seconds of searching - too long, way too long, humans need to breathe, and who’s to say just hitting the water didn’t already kill him - he finally spots the prince, limply tied to a chair on the sand, eyes closed and mouth open.  _ No, no, no, no, nononononononono- _ Genie immediately appears next to Aladdin, and they are floating in the air, far away from the ocean, in mere seconds. 

He spends several frantic seconds searching for a pulse, while also snapping all the water out of Aladdin’s lungs. Somehow, miraculously, there is a pulse, strong and steady, and Genie can feel himself literally deflating in disbelief and relief.  _ How...? _ It takes him a moment before he realizes - there is a sort of protection around the prince, and it feels like Genie’s magic, but he can’t remember putting it on Aladdin. He feels the body in his arms begin to weakly struggle, and decides he will figure it out later. Now, he has more important things to do. He shushes Aladdin softly, knowing that nearly drowning would have tired the kid out, and sets his sights on the window he knows Aladdin was flung from. 

When he arrives, he is surprised by the presence of the Princess Jasmine. He is even more surprised by watching her land a spectacular punch on the face of  **_Him_ ** **.** Genie isn’t usually pleased by violence - he is peaceful by nature, though because of the curse he had been under he has done many unspeakable things in the centuries of his existence - but watching  **_Him_ ** get what he deserved was incredibly satisfying. Genie finds he rather wants to punch the vile man himself. So he decides to speak up, unbothered by the uncharacteristic venom in his own voice.

“Hey princess. Nice right hook! Now, I have something to return to you, and you have something I would  _ love _ to get my hands on.”


	14. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jafar didn't just anger Genie and Jasmine by nearly killing Aladdin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is largely world building, but I hope you guys enjoy it all the same! :D

Magic is complicated. It is very, _very_ complicated, and there’s a reason a person can’t just learn magic on a whim. It takes a very intense, very lengthy period of studying to even master the basics, much less any of the more complex magics. There is only one (known) exception to this rule: Genies.

There is little consensus or knowledge as to how, _exactly_ , genies come into being, much less why they are so different from other magical creatures. Some stories say they are cursed humans, whose only escape would be to trap another in their place. Given Aladdin has wished Genie free, and Aladdin is still human, we can at least cross part of that theory off the list.

Another possibility is that genies are born, not made. This seems to be the most likely option, but the world may never know. The genies sure aren’t talking. 

But, that is rather beside the point. The point is that Magic is complicated, and thus has rules, some of which are more like laws of nature, such as the impossibility of truly reanimating the dead, and some of which are more guidelines about what is probably not the best idea - for example, altering time to any sort of extreme. (Yes, that is a dig at Genie, the blue being had caused a _lot_ of headaches among the more magically sensitive creatures of the world when he granted Aladdin’s first wish.)

Another guideline is as follows:

Magic is not meant to be exceedingly long lasting. That isn’t meant in the way of ‘anything conjured or transformed by magic will disappear after a certain amount of time,’ but more along the lines of constant, active magic having a tendency to become rather more sentient than other types of magic. 

The Magic Carpet is an excellent example of this. When it was first created it had no personality or mind to think of, but the only way it is able to fly is via an enchantment that had been cast on it many centuries ago, an enchantment that has been constantly active all that time. Thus, after all those years, the Magic Carpet had developed its own personality; the magic powering it gained more and more sentience the longer it was active. 

While this isn’t a too well studied phenomenon, because sentient Magic Creatures aren’t looked upon too favorably by most scholars due to the lack of ability to control them, it is widely accepted that the type and amount of magic will influence how much of a personality an enchantment might gain. A casually made spell by a weak apprentice would perhaps have the mental capacity of a fly, or a particularly dumb goldfish. A malevolent spell by a master magician might have the cognitance of a particularly smart ape.

A wish driven by pure love and protection, cast by a Genie, and maintained by the love and adoration shared between all involved members?

Well.

Aladdin’s Second Wish was more powerful than anyone understood.

It (for it may be alive and thinking on the level of an intelligent human, but it had no need for any of that gender stuff the humans were so concerned about) had been born out of pure happiness and love, and it had done its best its entire existence (a solid two years so far) to make sure all those under its protection would be able to keep feeling those amazing emotions. There has been some trouble, because humans, it seems, are exceptionally good at finding conflict, but it is proud to say that so far it had done a wonderful job keeping its charges safe. 

It cannot say it understands overly well the reasons behind all the conflict and violence its humans have become involved in, but it does not truly care to. As long as it can keep its charges safe, it was happy. It doesn’t mind that none of its charges are aware of its sentient existence.

Or at least that _had_ been its stance, until the most recent incident. 

Now, not only is it probable that it’s Creator has finally discovered its existence (really, for an all-powerful Genie, the blue being was really quite oblivious sometimes), but its Originator had nearly _died_. While it felt an equal amount of responsibility and protectiveness over all of its charges, those of the nation the humans call ‘Diaus Biaraa’, the well-being of the Prince was important to all of said charges. Combine that with the fact that the Prince was the Originator of its existence, and it can admit to being especially protective of the Prince. 

Now, with the threat neutralized (though it wouldn’t mind getting its metaphorical hands on the False Magician, which is a new emotion for it to experience and one to be examined later), it thinks it should finally let its presence be known. It simply wouldn’t stand for something of this nature again. If it hadn’t been there to interfere, the Prince would have drowned or been crushed by water pressure before the Genie could rescue him. Thus, it only made sense for it to make itself known, so it could coordinate with others to protect the Prince. 

 _Now,_ it thinks. _Before I introduce myself, I should give myself a name_. 


	15. A Girl Worth Fighting For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin is definitely a girl...er, that is, a boy worth fighting for. He's got a bunch of people fighting for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What another chapter so fast? Blasphemy...  
> This is the third chapter in like two days. It's crazy. Where is all this inspiration and motivation coming from??
> 
> So by the way, the beginning of this chapter isn’t very happy, because it’s Aladdin remembering and recovering from his brush with death, but it gets happier! I promise!  
> Also, Aladdin is 1) very used to being in peril and such and 2) very very adaptable, so he bounces back from bad things pretty easily, as you will see.

His head hurts. His whole body hurts, actually, especially his lungs, but his head positively _aches_. He can hear voices around him, loud and angry voices, but he can’t seem to understand them. He knows he has been unconscious, but he can’t quite remember why. He remembers...blue? But beyond that, nothing.

His head throbs after a particularly loud shout from one of the voices, and he decides he doesn’t want to know what’s going on. He wants to be unconscious again, away from the pain that is radiating from every part of his body. He tries to drift off, but he suddenly seems to be moving, as if someone is carrying him somewhere, and the pain in his body spikes. He whimpers from the pain, and vaguely he notices the voices quiet down some. He thinks he might have broken a bone or two somewhere, when he hit the...what did he hit? He tries to reach for the memory, wanting answers, but once more it is just beyond him.

“Aladdin? Hey buddy, can you hear me?” The words buzz around his ears, and it takes him a minute to sort them out in his head. _Aladdin...is my name. Someone’s...asking if I can hear them? Who...?_ Finally mustering up enough willpower, Aladdin forces his eyes to open, and squints against the lights that seem overly bright. His vision is blurry, and all he can see is blue. He takes a breath to try and speak, but his lungs catch and he starts coughing. For a while, he can’t breathe through his coughing, and the combination of blue and breathlessness breaks through the block that had been on his memory.

He remembers falling. He remembers hitting the water hard ( _must be where the aches in my body came from_ ), and he remembers holding his breath as he hopes and prays for someone to come save him. He remembers realizing no one was coming, and resigning himself to die. He remembers his lungs aching for air, and being unable to hold his breath any longer, inhaling and choking on too much water. He remembers blue.

“Aladdin!! ALADDIN!!” He is jolted out of his panic by a loud shout right in his ear, and he jerks away as much as his aching body allows, trying to find the loud sound. His eyes eventually focuses on a pair of dark eyes watching him, and he can feel his body begin to relax as he takes in the familiar features of Jasmine, his love. Soon, he begins to recognize the voice muttering reassures to be that of Genie’s and behind Jasmine he can see the worried figure of Abu. All of his closest and dearest loved ones are right in front of him, worried about him. The panic drains out of him. He is safe.

He manages to find his breath, and his voice. “I’m...okay.” He pauses to allow his injured lungs rest, because those two words managed to exhaust them.

He can see some of the tension drain out of Jasmine at his voice, but the arms holding him remain just as tense as before. He manages to move his head enough to look up, and pulls his lips into the best smile he can manage for Genie. The normally blue being is much less blue than usual, with only his clothes remaining the same bright blue. Instead, he looks like a tall, dark-skinned human. Despite that, Aladdin immediately recognizes one of his closest friends.

“Hey, buddy. How ya doing?” Genie’s voice is unnaturally quiet, and Aladdin rather wishes everyone would be considerably happier. Sure, he almost died, but its not like he _did_ die. He’s almost died too many times in his life to let near-death experiences affect him for very long. As soon as his body was healed, he’d be right back to tip-top shape, with perhaps only a minor phobia of large bodies of water to show for it.

Aladdin can’t bring himself to speak again, so he just tries to smile a little brighter and gives Genie a thumbs up. He manages an even bigger smile when he sees Genie relax a little and give the slightest smile back. _There we go! Soon he’ll be all back to normal. Now, to find out what’s going on._

He taps Genie and gives him a pleading look, and like the all-powerful being he is, Genie immediately understands what he wants. He carefully shifts Aladdin around so he can see where they are, and Aladdin does his best to hide how much the movement hurt. He quickly turns to examining his surroundings to distract himself.

They appear to be in one of Agrabah Palace’s hallways, and there is quite the array of characters in it. Obviously he is here, with Genie, Jasmine, and Abu, but he is surprised to see not only the Sultan but also several Palace Guards holding a bruised and captive Jafar. His mind races, trying to understand what’s going on, but he seems to have been stuck underwater for too long, because he can’t seem to make sense of it all.

Jasmine, probably seeing his confusion, saves him. “As I was just explaining to my father when you woke up, we were bringing you to the infirmary and Jafar,” here she turns the most hateful look Aladdin has ever seen on the bruised Vizier, “to the Dungeons.”

“Oh, but darling, you haven’t explained what is going on! Why are you bringing my advisor to the dungeons?! I know you don’t like him, but that is no reason to arrest him!”

Jasmine turns her angry gaze to her father. “That _monster_ over there just tried to murder the Prince of one of our closest allies. I think that’s _plenty_ of reason to throw him in the dungeon to _rot_ for all of eternity, though I doubt once Diaus Biaraa learns what has happened they will be content will letting him languish in a cell. I don’t doubt they will call for his execution.”

Aladdin takes great joy in watching the Sultan splutter in disbelief as Jafar pales dramatically. He is enjoying being the one to just sit back and let others be in charge for once. That, and Jasmine is glorious when she is powerful and angry. _She will make an amazing Sultana_ , he thinks dreamily, before focusing again on the confrontation happening before him. 

“B-but! How could this-! I can’t believe-this-what _happened_?!” 

Aladdin, judging his lungs recovered enough for a little more talking, speaks up this time. “From what I could understand from his interrogation of me, your-” He has to cough, before continuing on. “-your advisor for some reason believed that I had some magic lamp that would enable him to gain great power or something.” He pauses for a breath. “If I had to guess, he was looking to gain enough power to steal your throne, Your Majesty. When I couldn’t answer his questions satisfactorily, he threw me out of-” His breath catches as he remembers the stomach-turning sensation of an unwilling freefall. “He threw me out of the window of his tower. If it weren’t for my dear friend here being lucky enough to be on the shore, I would have drowned. Having said that-” He can’t hold in the coughs any longer. He waves a hand clumsily at Genie, and his friend continues for him.

“Your Majesty, I am Aziz, one of My Prince’s oldest friends. I came with him to Agrabah as moral support. When Princess Jasmine alerted me to the Prince’s disappearance, I decided to search outside of the castle, for I know of his tendencies to wander when bored. I arrived at the shore just in time to see my Prince fall into the water. I managed to stop him from drowning, but his lungs were filled with water, and he has several broken bones, at least. I will submit to any interrogation later to get to the bottom of what really happened, but right now, I need to bring the Prince to the infirmary. If you will excuse me.” Aladdin is proud of his friend for being so courteous when he knows Genie is feeling anything but, and is relieved when Genie excuses them. He would really like to be allowed to rest, and he hopes the infirmary has something for the pain.

Genie begins walking away from the confrontation, not waiting to be dismissed, and Aladdin knows Abu isn’t far behind them. He lets himself relax into Genie’s hold, and closes his eyes.

He falls asleep to the gentle swaying sensation of being carried.

 

* * *

 

Jasmine feels incredibly relieved as she watches the man, Aziz, walk away with the servant Abu, Aladdin in his arms. She has been reassured that Aladdin is okay, or at least on the way to being so, and thanks to Aziz, the man she is slowly falling in love with is away from the _monster_ who tried to murder him.

At the reminder of her father’s vile advisor, Jasmine hardens her features and turns her attention back to the matter at hand. Knowing her father would want to know, and wanting to get the whole situation over with so she could join Aziz in the infirmary to watch over Aladdin, she begins to speak before her father can. “Prince Aladdin and I were going to have lunch together, to see if we are compatible and to get to know each other. When he did not show up on time, I went to his rooms, hoping to find him there. Instead, I found his friend and servant worried because they could not find him. We split up to look for him, hoping he had merely wandered off, and that nothing malicious was afoot. However, you know I have always been suspicious of Jafar, so I decided the best option would be to go to him first, and then look elsewhere if he were innocent. I arrived in Jafar’s chambers just in time to witness the Prince fall over the edge. I watched him land in the water. I can admit to becoming angry, for I had grown rather fond of the Prince after our couple of encounters. So I punched Jafar. I do not regret it. I tied him up and as I was bringing Jafar to the guards I came across Aziz holding an unconscious Aladdin. We came across some guards, who I asked to inform you, and you know the rest.”

She can see her father’s expressions, disbelieving and disapproving, and just knows that he is gearing up for a lecture. She doesn’t let him start. “I realize that you are going to trust your precious advisor of many decades over a female and some foreigners, but I would still recommend you lock him up just in case. After all, if we turn out to be telling the truth and you let Jafar get away with it, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Diaus Biaraa calling for war at the gross injustice of it all. As it is, I wouldn’t be surprised if they consider severing ties with us.” Seeing her father’s contemplative look, she nods her head. “Now, if you excuse me, I have a Prince to check on.”

As she walks away, she doesn’t see the look of pride on her father’s face, nor the looks of respect on the faces of the guards.


	16. Show Yourself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aladdin slowly recovers, Jasmine gets suspicious, and Hamia may be relatively young, but it apparently has more chill than anyone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I realize it’s been a little while, sorry about that. But I promised myself I would post at least one more chapter before the end of the year, so here it is! (Yeah, I’m cutting it a little close. Oops.)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> And thank you so much to WarriorsCre3d on fanfiction.net for the idea for the name of our Sentient Magic Wish!  
> According to them, the name I chose, Hamia, means Protector in Arabian, which I thought was very fitting.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Things seem to have calmed down, by the time Jasmine arrives in the infirmary. Aladdin is lying on a cot with Aziz and Abu sitting beside him and the Healer just finishing up wrapping his chest in bandages; Jasmine makes a mental note to have the Healer record the injuries he found on Aladdin, so as to serve as proof at any future trial against Jafar.

Jasmine hurries to a free spot to his side and grasps his hand. “Oh, Aladdin. Are you okay?”

He smiles at her, and she admires how calm and unshaken he appears. “I’m fine Jasmine. Ge-- Aziz got to me fast enough, and as long as I don’t do anything too strenuous while my ribs heal I should be fine. You were amazing, by the way, when you stood up to the Sultan and the Vizier. My hero.”

She feels herself flush at his praise, unused to being complimented for her forwardness, but doesn’t allow herself to become too distracted by it. She had noticed Aladdin’s stutter when saying Aziz’s name, and she has questions not only about that but also about how the man had done something she would swear would be impossible. She just needs to wait for the right moment. Until that moment, she will ignore the matter. “Thank you. I certainly could not allow this grave crime to go unpunished. Speaking of, I should send a missive to your Council apologizing for the incident. It would not do to appear as though we were trying to cover it up.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Aladdin interjects. “Abu was actually about to return to our rooms so he could write to my advisor about what happened. You didn’t do anything wrong, so there’s no reason you need to take responsibility, I’ll make sure that’s very clear.”

Jasmine raises an eyebrow and looks at him sternly. “Regardless of how you feel, it would be irresponsible of me to do nothing. I know my father is still skeptical of Jafar committing any crimes, and I fear he will not do enough to rectify matters. I don’t want our nations to grow apart, both for professional and more...personal reasons.” She softens her expression for a moment, before regaining her stern countenance. “Now, I shall leave to write my missive, and will meet you in your quarters to send it, as well as to speak with you about something. I will see you there.” 

She nods to everyone regally and sweeps out of the room, determined to write the best letter in the history of the Sultanate.

 

* * *

 

Aladdin watches Jasmine leave the room in awe, utterly besotted with how strong and stubborn she is. He hears a chuckle from beside him and blushes as he turns to look at Genie. He finds himself once again thrown off by Genie’s considerably less blue appearance, but it doesn’t change the sense of safety he feels as he looks at the being who saved his life ( _ in more ways than one, if he were to get introspective about the last few years of his life, but that’s for another time _ ).

“You okay buddy?” 

Aladdin takes a moment to take stock of how he feels; his head still aches vaguely, his chest feels like it’s on fire, and he is doing his best not to let out the cough that is building up in his throat so he doesn’t jostle his ribs too much. All in all, he isn’t in the best shape, but he’s been worse, and he’s getting professional medical care, so he can honestly say that “Yeah, I am. Been better, but been worse too. I just want to sleep in my bed and forget today happened, at least for a little while.”

“Well, I think I can help you with one of those things. Doc, he good to return to his room?”

The healer speaks up for the first time in a little while, having been quiet so as not to disturb his royal patient. “If you could find a way not to jostle his ribs too bad during the return trip, I would say yes, though it would be best if he stayed still for a while longer yet.”

Genie nods, then turns to pick up Aladdin. Aladdin braces himself for pain, and is surprised to find he feels none. As they begin to head back to his rooms, he realizes Genie must be using magic to ensure he doesn’t hurt Aladdin. He feels a flash of fondness for his blue friend, and relaxes into the soft hold.

 

* * *

 

After watching its charges for so long, it has learned quite a bit about how humans behave. As such, after a little while thinking it decides it shall call itself Hamia -- Protector. It is fitting, it thinks, for its entire purpose for existing is to protect its charges. That having been decided, it turns its attention back to its main charge, The Prince, who it is desperate to never see injured again. If it had a heart, it thinks it might have broken at seeing its Prince injured as such.

Finally, the Creator brings the Prince back to the safety of the rooms it has been slowly fortifying since the Prince arrived in the palace. Now, it feels, is the appropriate time to reveal itself.

So, in a break in the conversation between the Creator, the Prince, and the Not-Monkey, it decides to show itself.

“God, Aladdin, I was so worried about you! I thought you’d died!”

“I’m so sorry Abu. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Actually, that reminds me. Al, something was odd when I rescued you. I didn’t get to you in time -- as much as it pains me to say it, I should have found you already drowned. Instead, you were actually in pretty good shape. I can’t explain how or why, but some magic independent of me saved your life.”

There is silence in the room as the three ponder it, then, “I do believe that is my doing.”

The three jump at the voice that appears out of nowhere with no clear source, the Creator and the Not-Monkey quickly moving to protect the Prince. It feels proud of them for being so prepared to protect the Prince, but hurries to reassure that there is no reason to protect the Prince from Hamia.

“There is no reason to be alarmed. I am here only to help. I have been helping since my creation many years ago, and I will continue to do so until my demise.”

“Where...are you? Who are you?”

“I call myself Hamia, for I am the Protector. I have always been here, Prince, but I have no physical form for you to see me through. My apologies.”

The Creator speaks up, seeming to have had a realization. “You’re one of the wishes I created, aren’t you? I thought the magic that saved Al was oddly familiar, but I couldn’t explain why until now. How...how did this happen?”

It feels a flicker of approval. “Indeed, my Creator. I call myself Hamia because it is what the wish that created me intended.” He changes his voice, which to this point had been that of an older gentleman from Diaus Biaraa, to that of the Prince’s for a moment. “‘Genie, I wish that the great nation of Diaus Biaraa will forever and always be prosperous, that no matter the hardships, people will stay kind and good and strong in the face of darkness, shining through to the light.’ I am the result of that wish, and until this point I have been willing to be passive in aiding my charges. But to have such a thing happen to my dearest charge, the Originator, the Prince...I refuse to have it happen again. Thus, I have revealed myself to all of you at last.”

 

* * *

 

Aladdin is reeling. Today has been a very long day for him, and honestly he just wants it to be over. Unfortunately, he knows that won’t be happening for a little while longer, so he braces himself mentally and turns his attention to the magic being who apparently  _ he _ helped create. Hamia, it (he? they?) is calling itself, and Aladdin admits it is fitting. Before anyone can move past their shock enough to respond to Hamia, the door to his room opens, and Jasmine strides in.

She pauses at all their startled looks. “I did knock, you know. But no one responded, so I decided to drop off the missive I wrote and then return to the infirmary. Now, what on earth has you all so shocked?”

“I believe it is me, Princess, that has them so shocked. I am Hamia. It is a pleasure to meet the Prince’s love.”

Jasmine jumps at the voice, but seems to try and maintain her calm. “The feeling is...mutual? If I may ask, who is speaking? And is this related to how Aziz here is clearly some sort of Magician?”

Aladdin tenses up, and immediately regrets it as his ribs protest. He relaxes his body, but his mind -- still shocked from the rest of this disastrous day -- is basically a puddle of confusion.  _ Jasmine...knows? Of course she does, she’s so smart. What do I tell her? Should I tell her anything? I didn’t prepare a cover story, because I’m an idiot. What do I do? What do I do? _

Aladdin is aware that Abu and Genie are trying to stutter something out about how Genie is no one special, etc., but he is watching Jasmine’s face and he can see how unimpressed she is. He doesn’t want to lie to her anymore, because he can already feel the affection he has for her slowly morphing into love, and he doesn’t want to lose her trust, so he opens his mouth and interrupts his dearest friends.

“I was born Aladdin no-name, on the streets of Agrabah. I never knew my parents, and grew up hungry and alone. One day, I met a beautiful woman in the marketplace, who I later found out was the Princess. I was arrested, and a sketchy old man tricked me into going into a magic cave to get a special lamp. I found the lamp, was betrayed by the old man, and made friends with a Genie. He helped me out, and my first wish was that I were a Prince. I woke up as Aladdin Ali of Diaus Biaraa, two years in the past, with new memories that conflicted with the ones I’d had all my life.”

He looks and sees a look of shock on Jasmine’s, and closes his eyes as he continues his confession. “I was no longer someone who grew up alone, powerless and hungry. Now, I was someone who had parents, and a dear friend, and I was now the Prince of a great nation. I was shocked, but decided to not take the amazing situation for granted.” 

He hopes she doesn’t hate him, after he’s done.


	17. The World's Greatest Criminal Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jafar may think highly of himself, but Jasmine will find no greater pleasure than tearing down everything he's ever accomplished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a couple weeks, but it hasn’t yet been a month since my last update, so I’m calling this a win.
> 
> I’ve gotten a bunch of reviews, which I’m so thankful for, but also you guys seem to have some high expectations to Jasmine’s reaction and I’m really hoping I can live up to them. :-)
> 
> Honestly, we’re getting pretty close to the end here, though there are still a couple more chapters to go.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this!

Jasmine is no stranger to magic; her mother, while no true sorcerer, knew enough small Magic tricks to entertain her as a child. Jafar, as much as she was at odds with the arrogant man, was not shy about his use and mastery of Magic - truthfully, the man would use Magic for so many things, Jasmine sometimes wondered if he could do anything without it. And her father, delighting in any show of Magic, would regularly hire wandering sorcerers or magicians to entertain him, allowing Jasmine yet another glimpse into the wonders of Magic.

So, Jasmine is no stranger to magic.

That said, there are some things she finds herself struggling to understand and believe. Time travel? Magic spells that can think and speak? Genies? People who used to be monkeys? Jasmine feels herself sink into a nearby chair, but it is distant, as if it isn’t her body that is moving. Her entire focus is pulled to the man sitting in front of her, and no matter how doubtful and disbelieving she is, she knows with startling certainty that Aladdin would not lie to her. Sure, he hadn’t told her the truth right from the start, but that would be foolish to expect.

Truthfully, she is surprised that he was willing to tell her the truth so soon in their relationship.

She allows herself several more minutes to readjust her worldview and opinions, to accept everything she has been told, and to push back any impending panic or breakdown that may be coming. Now is not the time for that. She has been trusted with vital information, and Jafar still needs to be dealt with. She will panic or cry later; for now, she is going to make sure Aladdin is aware of how much she appreciates the trust and honesty.

Speaking of, Aladdin is beginning to look very worried and anxious at her lack of reaction, so Jasmine straightens in her chair and brings herself back to the present.

“Thank you, Aladdin, for telling me the truth. I am touched and in awe at the level of trust you have given me, and I will do my very best to not let you down.” She makes eye contact with him and holds it until she can see him nod and accept her words. “Really, this is amazing. You explained things very well, and I still have so many questions. For you, and for you two.” She nods in the direction of the man-who-is-actually-a-genie, Aziz, as well as in the general direction the bodiless voice of Hamia had been speaking from. “However, pleasantries and questions can come later. We have more important things to be discussing for now.”

“Jafar.” The name is spat out by Aziz ( _ and while she has been told now that he is a Genie and thus doesn’t necessarily have a name, she has also been told that she can call him Aziz, and she finds calling a sentient being by his species disrespectful; thus, he is Aziz to her _ ), as though it were the name of a bug, or disgusting monster. She feels approval; good, she is not the only one who is feeling utter disdain at the very mention of her father’s Vizier.

“Indeed. He needs to be dealt with. I love my father, but he is far too trusting of Jafar for his own good. It would be simple for Jafar to spin the situation in his favor if we give him time, and it would likely be war if that happened. I have no doubt that your people will be furious at the attempt on your life, and really, I would not blame them for declaring war.”

Jasmine watches everyone in the room frown at her words, but no one speaks up for several moments, likely trying to think up a solution. It is Hamia ( _ the spell that had gained thought; she is trying her best, but she is still struggling to accept the fact that something like that is possible. It boggles the mind. _ ) who speaks up first.

“I believe I may have a solution, if I may.”

“Of course Hamia. What is it?”

“The Princess speaks the truth, my Prince, that we must act quick before we lose any advantage we may have with the Vizier unaware of the universe shift. Thus, I propose we use our combined powers to find evidence of as many of the Vizier’s wrongdoings as we can, and present them before Agrabah’s Sultan as soon as possible. That way, even if Jafar managed to explain away his attempt on the Prince’s life, the Sultan will be unable to ignore any harm Jafar has done elsewhere.

“With the Princess’s access and knowledge of the castle she will be quite capable of finding any possible hidden rooms or documents, and with the help of my Creator she will be able to find anything hidden by magical means.” The being pauses, and Jasmine exchanges a glance with Aziz. She nods at him, and he nods back, an expression of determination on his face that she is sure is mirrored on her own. They are united in their determination.

Hamia then continues his speech. “I am capable of traversing great distances in moments, as long as a person of Diaus Biaraa has been there before. Thus, I will go searching for any evidence he has had dealings with enemies of Agrabah, or evidence of foul-play originating with Jafar. With what I know of him, I’m sure he, as the human saying goes, ‘has a hand in quite a few pies,’ for he seems like the sort of man who wishes to have ultimate control over everything he can.

“Finally, Monkey.” The servant, Abu ( _ who was once a monkey, apparently?? Jasmine isn’t going to think about it. _ ), perks up from where he had been fussing over Aladdin. “You are to watch over the Prince. I will bestow upon you great strength and heightened senses so you can predict and thwart any other attempts on the Prince’s life. I would not be surprised if the Vizier were to send assassins or mercenaries of some kind to finish the job he failed. Your job is of utmost importance, do you understand?”

Abu’s face hardens, and he straightens, taking a sturdy stance by Aladdin’s side. Jasmine can tell the ex-monkey would sooner die before letting any more harm come to his friend and prince. He nods solemnly.

“That all sounds good, but what about me? I want to help too!” Jasmine looks at Aladdin in disbelief, and she isn’t the only one.

“Al, are you kidding? I may have healed you a little, and taken the water out of your lungs, but you almost died. Magic is powerful, but too much healing can cause things to go wrong with your body’s natural functions, I can’t heal you anymore than I already have. You need  _ rest _ , and,” Aziz adds at seeing Aladdin opening his mouth to protest, “I am not afraid of tying you to that bed with Magic to make sure you do. Do you understand?”

Aladdin nods sullenly, and Jasmine, despite the seriousness of the situation, has to hold back a laugh at his pout. She composes herself before she does, and decides to get everyone back on task.

“Okay, we have our missions. We should plan to meet back here tomorrow morning, hopefully with all the evidence we need, and take the time to compile it. Aladdin, if you get bored, perhaps you can get working on the letters you need to write for your advisors and council?” She sees him pale at the prospect of explaining the situation but ignores it. “Hopefully by tomorrow night we can have Jafar arrested and imprisoned for good - or even  _ executed _ .” If anyone is shocked by her violent last words no one says anything, so she simply nods her head and turns to leave the room.

She has a mission, and she is determined not to fail.


	18. There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody lives happily every after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no it’s been so long since I updated this story. I’m so sorry! I got super busy and distracted, and then there’s the quarantine, and then I got Animal Crossing: New Horizons and became addicted to that...  
> Sorry!  
> Also, I had some trouble with this chapter, because the way I left it off implied that I was going to show them all getting all this evidence against Jafar and stuff but I don’t know about stuff like all that. My brain isn’t good at concocting nefarious things. So I decided to take the easy way out, and gloss over all that stuff!   
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

While Aladdin’s injuries would normally have taken weeks or even months to heal, and even after he likely would have felt the aftereffects, with a Genie’s magic and his own magical protector in Hamia, Aladdin is completely healed up in a week, with no chance of lingering problems. His injuries mean that he misses the arrival of his advisors, but he’s there for Jafar’s trial, and he takes great joy in watching the smugness and arrogance bleed out of the ex-Vizier’s face as Jasmine lists all the evidence of his wrong-doings. 

Aladdin’s advisors unanimously agree that Jafar is to be brought back to Diaus Biaraa for imprisonment and eventual execution, but by that point in the trial Aladdin is so tired that all he really registers is Jafar’s shouting.

Aladdin is back in Diaus Biaraa, Zafa and the others refusing to allow him to remain in Agrabah any longer, but he’s been speaking to Jasmine daily due to a special mirror given to him by Genie.

Speaking of Genie - or rather, Aziz. The blue being, while deciding to remain blue when not in public, has decided that he likes having a name, instead of just being “Genie,” and has asked everyone to call him Aziz. Aladdin is happy for his friend - a name is important, and finding your own can be life-changing.

Aladdin is back to his normal duties as soon-to-be Sultan of Diaus Biaraa, and with his approaching coronation comes an increase in the marriage proposals he gets. He half-heartedly hears everyone out, but anyone who knows him can see that he isn’t interested in any of his potential wife-to-be’s. His heart already belongs to Jasmine, after all.

Speaking of the princess, Aladdin knows she is experiencing something similar. Many princes from nearby kingdoms have asked for her hand in the hopes of becoming Sultan of Agrabah, and she has run off every one, both because they look down on her as a woman, and because they are not Aladdin. She’s told him that she has managed to talk her father into crowning her as Sultana as soon as she turns 18.

It would be troubling to Aladdin, if it weren’t for the fact that they already have a plan, one they have talked out extensively. She turns 18 soon, and Aladdin has his coronation planned for the day after her birth - the same day her coronation is planned. Coincidentally, they have both requested to have their coronation in a small but famous town on the border of their kingdoms - half of it is in Agrabah, and half of it is in Diaus Biaraa. If anyone were to question the odd choice for them to coronated at the same time, they would say it was a way of solidifying the alliance of their nations even further than ever before. And they wouldn’t be lying.

What no one but their closest confidants know is that their coronation day will also be their wedding day.

It had been Jasmine’s idea, of course. The only problem with their relationship would have been that they will both be the rulers of their kingdoms, and so very far apart. They would both need heirs, and they would both need to put the lives of their people and the wellbeing of their nations above the other. And they agree to it. They will have two children, one will be the heir of Diaus Biaraa, one will be the heir of Agrabah. It has been fact since day one of their relationship that they both hold infinite love for their kingdoms, so there is no way of either of them putting their spouse above the needs of their kingdom. 

And with Aziz, Hamia, and the Magic Carpet (who, through some magic, managed to convey that they want to be called Ali, after Aladdin, and who apparently doesn’t mind being a normal carpet some days), neither Jasmine nor Aladdin will have trouble visiting each other.

All in all, now that Aladdin is healed up, his life really is looking up.

Of course, he still has his usual duties, and stubborn nobles to trick, and a nation to look after, which no one would claim is easy. But despite all that, he can look at the future, and smile with genuine hope.

When he looks back at the boy he once was, immature and scarred by the darkness of the streets he grew up on, yet somehow still naive, he can only laugh. That boy had no idea what the world had in store for him.

Now, Aladdin is a man, still scarred, but no longer immature and naive. He is confident in his skin and able to stand tall with self-assurance.

And most importantly, he has people who care about him, and whom he cares about in turn.

Yes, life really is looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter and how rushed it probably seems.
> 
> Honestly, barring any possible epilogues if someone really wants one, this is probably going to be the last chapter. It’s the end of what I have had planned, and honestly while I love this story, and I’ve enjoyed writing it, it’s also not really my main priority anymore. I’m writing other things now. If you’re interested in my other works, one is a Sanders Sides fanfiction (Sanders Sides is a web series on YouTube by Thomas Sanders and is honestly one of my favorite fandoms), and the other is an original work I’m slowly writing that I hope to one day publish. Make sure to check them out if you’re interested!
> 
> Thank you all for reading, commenting, and enjoying my story!! I really appreciate it, and hope I made you guys happy with my story, even if only a little! :D


	19. Epilogue - We Know The Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An epilogue.  
> ALSO:   
> I POSTED A CHAPTER A FEW DAYS AGO, BUT TECHNICALLY I JUST REPLACED AN AUTHOR'S NOTE, SO I DON'T KNOW IF A NOTIFICATION WAS SENT OUT.  
> SO GO BACK AND READ THAT FIRST.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I’ve had a couple requests for an epilogue, here it is! It’s short, but hopefully sweet. :D

Giggles.

He peers around, making sure to exaggerate his movements comically.

More giggles, and this time he can pinpoint where it came from. He slowly creeps in that direction, but makes sure not to look at one specific spot.

“Oh my, I just cannot find the princess! Has she run away to be with an evil vizier?! Do I need to go and rescue her!?” He makes to wail as dramatically as he possibly can, and he hears his darling wife giggle from across the garden.

More giggles, then a form is launched at him. He catches it, and grins down at his pouting son. “Oh ho! It seems our evil vizier has been stopped in his tracks! Whomever was it who defeated this mighty foe!? Who was it that saved the princess?”

“I DID! I saved myself!!” Another form bursts out from the same bush his son was flung from, and Aladdin laughs at the sight of his daughter, covered in mud, standing victoriously in front of him.

“I see you did! Congratulations, young princess. As you are the one who won the game, it is your turn to pick tonight's dinner! What would you have it be?”

His daughter’s eyes light up in glee, and he just knows he is going to have to veto several ideas, all of them including excess amounts of sugar. In his arms, his son grumbles at the idea that his twin will get to pick their dinner again, and peers up at Aladdin sullenly. 

Aladdin feels joy bubbling up in his chest, and lets himself laugh - his laughter grows as he sees a small bee buzzing about his daughter’s head. He knows that is no normal bee, but decides not to call Aziz on it. If the blue being wants to cheat at a child’s game,  then he’d better be prepared for retribution. Abu and Hamia are always happy to mess with the Genie, so Aladdin figures he can find a way to pull a prank on the all-powerful being.

A hand settles on his back, and he turns to look at his wife. She is more beautiful than the day he met her, and every day after that she gets ever more radiant. He adores her completely, and tells her so. Jasmine beams at him, and leans in for a kiss. Their lips touch for barely a moment before their children begin complaining and exclaiming in disgust. They separate with a laugh, and Aladdin swears he has never been happier.

Tomorrow, he will swear the same thing, and every day afterward.

After all, while life will still be hard, because such is life, he has all he could ever ask for. A loving family, amazing friends, and the ability to protect and care for all of those he cares about. He doesn’t need anything else.

He is content.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that!  
> Whether you did or not, I’d appreciate if you’d give me some constructive criticism! It’s super helpful!  
> Thanks, and see ya all later!


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